April 12, 1998 Earthquake: Bovec, Kobarid, Arnoldstein, Slovenia, Austria
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Bovec, Kobarid, Arnoldstein, Slovenia, Austria on April 12, 1998 at 10:55:32 UTC, 10 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.
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
- April 12, 1998
- Time
- 10:55:32 UTC
- Place
- Bovec, Kobarid, Arnoldstein, Slovenia, Austria
- Magnitude
- 5.7 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 10 km (6 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 46.245° N, 13.652° E
- Country
- Austria
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 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.
1998, April 12. One person died of a heart attack at Bovec, Slovenia. Maximum intensity (VIII) in the Bovec-Kobarid area, Slovenia, where damage to buildings and landslides left 700 people homeless. Minor damage at Arnoldstein, Austria. Felt strongly throughout Slovenia and northeastern Italy. Felt throughout Austria and in parts of Croatia, Germany and Hungary. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 25, 1348, Celovac, Veneto, Slovenia, Villach, Italy, Austria
- August 8, 1511, Cividale del Fruili, Italy
- May 6, 1976, NW, Slovenia, NE, Balkans NW, Italy
- June 29, 1873, Bellunese, Italy
- 778, Treviso, Italy
- December 4, 1690, Carinthie, Austria
- March 26, 1511, Idrija,skofja Loka, Slovenia, Balkans NW
- September 15, 1976, Northeastern, Italy
- April 14, 1895, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Balkans NW
- September 11, 1976, Northeastern, Italy
- July 12, 2004, Bovec, Kobarid, Slovenia
- May 9, 1861, Citta Della Pieve, Italy
- March 22, 2020, Zagreb, Croatia, Balkans NW
- September 14, 1509, Bled,slatna,begunje, Slovenia, Balkans NW
- September 15, 1976, Italy-Balkans NW
More
Significant earthquakes of 1998The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1998Recent 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 5492.