May 31, 1990 Earthquake: Kishinev, Cis, Romania
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Kishinev, Cis, Romania on May 31, 1990 at 00:17:47 UTC, 88 km below the surface.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- May 31, 1990
- Time
- 00:17:47 UTC
- Place
- Kishinev, Cis, Romania
- Magnitude
- 6.1 (mb)
- Focal depth
- 88 km (55 mi)
- Intensity
- 5 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 45.811° N, 26.769° E
- Country
- Romania
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1990, May 31. Additional damage in Romania. Felt (V) in northern Bulgaria and at Kishinev, USSR. Felt throughout Bulgaria and in parts of Yugoslavia. Also felt at Lvov, USSR and Istanbul, Turkey. Two events about 2.3 seconds apart. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 4, 1977, Bucharest, Romania
- November 10, 1940, Romania
- January 23, 1838, Carpathian Fold,vrancea, Romania
- May 30, 1990, Bucharest, Braila, Brasov, Romania
- August 30, 1986, Bucharest, Kishinev-Kagul, Romania
- October 27, 2004, Northern, Bucharest, Braila, Bulgaria, Romania
- November 24, 1516, Romania
- October 26, 1802, Carpathian Fold,vrancea, Romania
- November 17, 1821, Romania, Moldova
- November 26, 1829, Bucharest, Romania
More
Significant earthquakes of 1990The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1990Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5242.