1838 Vrancea earthquake
The 1838 Vrancea earthquake struck the western part of Vrancea County on 23 January (O.S. 11 January) with a magnitude of 7.5. The seism caused extensive damage in Moldavia and Wallachia, and killed dozens of people. The earthquake occurred just 36 years after another earthquake of magnitude over 7 on Richter scale devastated the southern part of Wallachia.
| Local date | 11 January 1838 |
|---|---|
| Local time | 20:45 (EET) |
| Duration | 3–5 minutes |
| Magnitude | 7.3 Ms 7.5 Mw |
| Epicenter | 45°43′N 26°43′E |
| Areas affected | Romania |
| Max. intensity | MSK-64 IX (Destructive) |
| Landslides | Yes |
| Casualties | 73 dead, 14 injured |
The earthquake occurred at 20:45, being felt strongly in Bucharest and also all over the country up to Lviv, Sevastopol, Constantinople (Istanbul), Odessa, etc. A detailed report on the phenomenon was promptly done by Güstav Schuller, mining geologist in the service of the Duke of Saxony. He said the quake had a foreshock followed by three strong shocks.
During this earthquake, in some areas, especially the epicentral zone, mainly in Vrancea, Buzău, Brăila and Dâmbovița counties appeared large ground cracks and liquefaction phenomena.