# List of earthquakes in Bulgaria

This list of earthquakes in Bulgaria is organized by date and includes events that caused injuries/fatalities, historic quakes, as well events that are notable for other reasons.

## Earthquakes

Key
* Epicenter outside Bulgaria
| Name | Date | Epicentre | Mag. | MMI | Depth (km) | Notes | Deaths | Injuries |
| 1802 Vrancea earthquake | 1802101400001802-10-14 | Vrancea Mountains, Romania | 7.9 | VIII | 150.0 | The cities of Ruse, Silistra, Varna and Vidin were almost completely destroyed. | | |
| 1818 Sofia earthquake | 1818042500001818-04-25 | near Sofia | 6.0 | VII | | | | |
| 1838 Vrancea earthquake | 1838011100001838-01-11 | Vrancea Mountains, Romania | 7.5 | VII | | Felt across much of the country, damage reported in northern Bulgaria. | | |
| 1858 Sofia earthquake | 1858093000001858-09-30 | near Sofia | 6.6 | IX | 9.0 | 70-80% of buildings in Sofia suffered damage. | 4 | |
| 1901 Black Sea earthquake | 1901033100001901-03-31 | off Cape Kaliakra | 7.2 | X | 14.0 | More than 1,200 houses destroyed. Quake generated a 4–5 m high tsunami that devastated coastal communities on both sides of the Bulgarian-Romanian border. | 4 | 50+ |
| 1904 Kresna earthquakes | 1904040400001904-04-04 | near Krupnik | 7.2 M$_s$ | | 11.0 | One of the largest shallow 20th century earthquakes on land in the Balkans, preceded by a very powerful 7.1 foreshock. Felt as far away as Budapest, Hungary. | 200+ | |
| 1908 Gorna Oryahovitza earthquake | 1908011000001908-01-10 | near Gorna Oryahovitza | 7.0 | | | First quake locally measured via seismograph, after one was installed in Sofia in 1905. | | |
| 1909 Gorna Oryahovitza earthquake | 1909041400001909-04-14 | near Gorna Oryahovitza | 7.0 | | | | | |
| 1913 Ruse earthquake | 1913061400001913-06-14 | southwest of Ruse | 6.6 | | 15.0 | | 37 | |
| 1928 Chirpan–Plovdiv earthquakes | 1928041400001928-04-14 | near Chirpan | 7.1 and 7.1 | IX | 10.0 | Followed by a 7.1 aftershock at a depth of 15.0 km on April 18. More than 26,000 buildings were destroyed, another 21,000 were severely damaged. | 107 | 500 |
| 1942 Razgrad earthquake | 1942031700001942-03-17 | near Razgrad | 5.1 | | | Large parts of the city were damaged. | | |
| 1977 Vrancea earthquake | 1977030400001977-03-04 | Vrancea Mountains, Romania | 7.2 | VIII | 94.0 | Most casualties occurred in Svishtov when several apartment buildings collapsed. Widely felt across the entire country, with minor damage reported as far south as Plovdiv. | 120 | 165 |
| 1977 Velingrad earthquake | 1977110300001977-11-03 | near Velingrad | 5.2 | VI | 6.0 | Nearly 800 buildings were damaged across several counties. | | |
| 1986 Strazhitsa earthquake | 1986120700001986-12-07 | near Strazhitsa | 5.6 | VII | 20.5 | 80% of buildings in Strazhitsa were deemed 'uninhabitable' after the quake, with 150 being completely destroyed. The town was later rebuilt. | 3 | 80 |
| 1990 Vrancea earthquakes | 1990053000001990-05-30 | Vrancea Mountains, Romania | 6.7 | V | 89.0 | Moderate damage in northeastern Bulgaria. Main event was followed by a 6.1 aftershock on May 31. | 1 | |
| 2004 Vrancea earthquake | 2004102700002004-10-27 | Vrancea Mountains, Romania | 6.0 | V | | Felt across the country, some damage reported in northeastern Bulgaria. | | |
| 2012 Pernik earthquake | 2012052700002012-05-22 | near Pernik | 5.6 | VI | 10.0 | Caused at least €11,000,000 worth of damage, mostly in Pernik, and to a lesser degree in the capital Sofia. | 1 | |
| 2014 Aegean Sea earthquake | 2014052400002014-05-24 | Aegean Sea | 6.9 | V | 6.4 | Widely felt across southern Bulgaria, minor damage reported in areas close to the Greek border. | | |

## Gallery

* Bent rails after the 1928 Chirpan earthquake
* King Boris III of Bulgaria meeting with people from Plovdiv in the aftermath of the 1928 quake
* The Catholic Hospital in Plovdiv after the 1928 quake
* One of the three towers of the Republika Power Plant in Pernik collapsed after the 2012 earthquake
* USGS seismic hazard map showing Bulgaria, as well as the Vrancea Mountains fault in central Romania
* Bulgarian Academy of Sciences seismic hazard map showing maximum acceleration for a repeat period of 475 years