July 18, 1991 Earthquake: Orsava, Romania
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Orsava, Romania on July 18, 1991 at 11:56:30 UTC, 12 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
- July 18, 1991
- Time
- 11:56:30 UTC
- Place
- Orsava, Romania
- Magnitude
- 5.6 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 12 km (7 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 44.888° N, 22.407° E
- Country
- Romania
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses damaged
- 615
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.
At least 615 houses damaged (VIII) in the Orsova area. Landslides occurred in the epicentral area. Felt strongly in western Romania and (IV) in northwestern Bulgaria. Also felt in southeastern Hungary and in parts of Yugoslavia. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- April 8, 1893, Popovic, NW, Balkans, Serbia
- July 12, 1991, Banloc, Deta, Timisoara, Romania
- November 3, 2010, Kraljevo, Serbia, Balkans NW
- September 29, 1998, Belgrade, Ljig, Valjevo, Serbia, Balkans NW
- December 2, 1991, Voiteg, Deta, Banloc, Romania
- February 4, 1739, Serbia, Balkans NW
- March 24, 1922, Serbia, Balkans NW
- May 15, 1927, Serbia, Balkans NW
More
Significant earthquakes of 1991The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1991Recent 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 5299.