EARTHQUAKES of 2018–2019 FELT in MOLDOVA (Romania – Moldova)

Abstract

All earthquakes felt in 2018–2019 on the territory of Moldova occurred outside its borders, in the Vrancea region (Romania), with intermediate depths in the range hрР=117–151 km. In 2018, the population of Moldova felt three earthquakes: March 14th, April 25th and October 28th. The article describes all of them, but with more details for the strongest of them on October 28th. The earthquake of March 14th with mb=4.5 and hрР=140 km was felt in the eastern and southern counties of Romania in seven localities. In Moldova, the earthquake was felt in Cahul with intensity I=3 and in Chisinau with I=2 by MSK-64. The epicenter was in the Vrancea Mountains. The earthquake of April 25th with mb=4.5 and hрР=151 km was felt in eight localities of the eastern and southern counties of Romania. Also it was felt in two localities in the central and southern regions of the Republic of Moldova. The earthquake of October 28th with mb=5.6 and hрР=151 km was most evident in the eastern and southern parts of Romania, but it was also felt in the north of Bulgaria, in Moldova and in the south-west of Ukraine. In 2019, the population of Moldova felt the earthquake on September 3rd with mb=4.5 and hрР=117 km. It was felt in six localities of the eastern and southern counties of Romania, as well as in the central and southern regions of the Republic of Moldova (in Cahul I=3–4, in Chisinau I=3). The focal mechanisms given in the article indicate that all the considered earthquakes occurred under the influence of the prevailing near-horizontal compression and intermediate extension.