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Country profile · USGS ComCat

Earthquakes in Romania

Romania ranks 67th of 215 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity. Below: the full M6+ event history, magnitude and depth profile, and yearly trend, straight from USGS data.

183
M4+ events (since 2005)
11
Major M6+ (since 1900)
M7.7
Strongest
~9
M4+ per year

The verdict

Romania has logged 183 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 and 11 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.7.

#67
of 215 countries by M4+ activity
183
catalogued M4+ events (2005–present)
M7.7
strongest earthquake on record
11
major M6+ events since 1900

Average catalogued magnitude is 4.4 - most events are moderate M4–5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage.

Major (M6+) earthquakes in Romania by year

Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year

Value

What this shows Romania's most active year for major earthquakes was 1940 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.

Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) As of 2025

Magnitude distribution of major events

Breakdown of the 11 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Romania.

M7.0-7.9

4

36.4%

M6.0-6.9

7

63.6%

Depth of major earthquakes

Hypocentral depth of the 11 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 100 km.

Shallow (<70 km)

1

9.1% of events

Intermediate (70–300 km)

10

90.9% of events

Deep (>300 km)

0

0.0% of events

Strongest earthquakes in Romania

The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).

Mag Location Depth
7.7 13 km ESE of Comand?u, Romania 150.0 km
7.5 2 km N of Spulber, Romania 94.0 km
7.2 7 km NNE of Ca?oca, Romania 132.3 km
7.0 5 km W of Nistore?ti, Romania 89.3 km
6.7 6 km SW of P?ule?ti, Romania 105.0 km
6.7 7 km WNW of Nereju Mic, Romania 85.9 km
6.6 12 km NNW of Gura Teghii, Romania 130.0 km
6.6 11 km E of Ghelinţa, Romania 130.0 km
6.4 1 km SE of Bruiu, Romania 15.0 km
6.3 2 km SSW of N?ruja, Romania 88.2 km

Significant earthquake record (11 events)

Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Romania since 1900, most recent first.

Mag Location Depth
6.3 2 km SSW of N?ruja, Romania 88.2 km
7.0 5 km W of Nistore?ti, Romania 89.3 km
7.2 7 km NNE of Ca?oca, Romania 132.3 km
7.5 2 km N of Spulber, Romania 94.0 km
6.7 7 km WNW of Nereju Mic, Romania 85.9 km
7.7 13 km ESE of Comand?u, Romania 150.0 km
6.6 12 km NNW of Gura Teghii, Romania 130.0 km
6.7 6 km SW of P?ule?ti, Romania 105.0 km
6.4 1 km SE of Bruiu, Romania 15.0 km
6.0 3 km WNW of Matca, Romania 85.0 km
6.6 11 km E of Ghelinţa, Romania 130.0 km

Countries with similar seismic activity

Comparable catalogued earthquake frequency to Romania.

Saint Helena

184 M4+ events · strongest M6.0

M6.0

Iraq

185 M4+ events · strongest M7.3

M7.3

Morocco

187 M4+ events · strongest M6.8

M6.8

South Africa

191 M4+ events · strongest M5.4

M5.4

Kazakhstan

172 M4+ events · strongest M6.1

M6.1

Mongolia

196 M4+ events · strongest M6.7

M6.7

Understand the data

How earthquakes are measured

Magnitude scales, seismographs, and depth.

Reading earthquake data

Interpreting magnitude, depth and frequency.

Earthquake preparedness

Before, during and after a quake.

Frequently asked questions

How many earthquakes have occurred in Romania? ▼
The USGS catalog records 183 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater in Romania since 2005, an average of about 9 per year. Separately, 11 significant (M6+) earthquakes are catalogued back to 1900.
What was the strongest earthquake in Romania? ▼
The strongest catalogued earthquake in Romania measured magnitude 7.7. Across the full M4+ catalog the average magnitude is 4.4 - most earthquakes are moderate.
How seismically active is Romania? ▼
By catalogued M4+ activity, Romania ranks 67th of 215 countries worldwide - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity. Its busiest year for major (M6+) events was 1940, with 2.
How deep are earthquakes in Romania? ▼
Across the 11 major (M6+) events on record, the average depth is 100 km. 9% were shallow (under 70 km), where surface shaking is strongest at a given magnitude.
Where does this data come from? ▼
Every figure is derived from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat). M4+ counts cover 2005 onward (the period of consistent global completeness); the significant-event series covers M6+ back to 1900. Nothing is modelled or estimated.

About this data

Every figure on this page is computed directly from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), the public-domain record maintained by the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Two series are combined: a worldwide catalog of magnitude-4.0-and-above events from 2005 onward, the period over which the global seismograph network reliably detects and locates earthquakes everywhere, and a historical series of significant magnitude-6.0-and-above events stretching back to 1900. Magnitudes use the moment-magnitude scale (Mw), the modern standard that supersedes the older Richter scale; because the scale is logarithmic, each whole step represents roughly thirty-two times more energy released. Depth is measured in kilometres from the surface, and shallow earthquakes generally produce stronger shaking than deep ones of the same magnitude. Counts reflect what instruments recorded, not every tremor that occurred, and recent events can be revised as seismologists refine the catalog.

Source: USGS ComCat, verify with USGS → · See our methodology for the full pipeline.

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