5.2 earthquake near Arad, Romania, could be felt in Szeged too
The moderate-strength earthquake that hit near the city of Arad, in Romania, on Tuesday, June 6, could be felt in Szeged too.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 5.6 km, 20 km east of Arad, and 50 km northeast of Timișoara. Reports about the earthquake mention different magnitudes, according to some sources it was 4.7, others report 4.9, others 5.0, again other reports state 5.3, while the Romanian National Research - Development Institute for Earth Physics measured it to be 5.2 on the Richter scale.
The earthquake happened at 20:26 Romania time and was registered in Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, Romania, Slovakia, and Serbia too.
According to the Romanian National Research - Development Institute for Earth Physics, a few minutes after 9 p.m., the earthquake was followed by two smaller aftershocks of 2.1 and 3.2. on the Richter scale.
The mayor of Arad, Călin Bibart, said in a Facebook Live that the earthquake did not cause any serious injuries and did not cause significant damage to the city. Especially the old, bad-condition houses suffered damage, cracks appeared in the walls and building pieces fell to the streets.
In the last three months, there have been several moderate earthquakes in Romania. On February 13, an earthquake of 5.2 on the Richter scale, and on February 14 one of 5.7 was measured in Gorj County. In May, the earth shook several times in the vicinity of Arad, of which the current one was the most significant - reported Transtelex.
Earthquakes in Szeged
Locals reported from various parts of Szeged that they felt Tuesday's earthquake, mostly those living on higher floors. Some observed that the chandelier in the room was swinging, others experienced that the glasses moved around on the table — approximately 110 km from the epicenter of the quake.
"Due to the nature of things, it is inevitable that there will be similar earthquakes. However, the people of Szeged are not in greater danger from earthquakes than at any other time in the city's history" Dr. Béla Raucsik, assistant professor at the Faculty of Science and Informatics of the University of Szeged explained in an interview with SZTE press.
"Smaller, no or hardly noticeable tremors can occur relatively often. The chance of earthquakes causing material damage is much lower in Szeged over a period of several centuries than in the vicinity of Arad, but they can never be completely ruled out. The chance of catastrophic earthquakes is even smaller, approaching zero. Of the natural phenomena, drastic weather events (e.g. hurricane-like storms) and floods are much more dangerous, as we have directly experienced in recent decades" he added.
Featured image via aradon.ro
