1802 Vrancea earthquake
| Local date | 26 October 1802 |
|---|---|
| Local time | 12:55 |
| Duration | 150 seconds |
| Magnitude | 7.9 Mw |
| Depth | 150 km (93 mi) |
| Areas affected | |
| Total damage | Hundreds of buildings destroyed |
| Max. intensity | MMI X (Extreme) |
| Landslides | Yes |
| Aftershocks | 6 |
| Casualties | 4 dead |
The 1802 Vrancea earthquake occurred in the Vrancea Mountains of today's Romania (then Moldavia) on 26 October [O.S. 14 October] 1802, on St. Paraskeva's Day. With an estimated intensity of 7.9 on the moment magnitude scale, it is the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Romania and one of the strongest in European history. It was felt across an area of more than two million square kilometers in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, from Saint Petersburg to the Aegean Sea.
In Bucharest, the earthquake had an estimated intensity of VIII–IX on the Mercalli scale. It toppled church steeples and caused the Cotroceni Monastery to collapse. Numerous fires broke out, mainly from overturned stoves. In the Ottoman Empire (today's Bulgaria), the cities of Ruse, Varna and Vidin were almost completely destroyed. The force of the earthquake cracked walls as far north as Moscow.
The main quake was followed by a series of aftershocks, of which the largest had a magnitude of 5.5.