Text Box: RETEAUA NATIONALA SEISMICA PENTRU CONSTRUCTII R.N.S.C

1889 – Bucharest seismic station

1902 – Timisoara seismic station

1911 – Cluj seismic station

1935 – Bucharest Seismic Observatory

1942-1943* – Seismic stations in the towns of Focsani, Bacau and
                     Campulung

1951-1952* – Seismic stations in the towns of Vrancioaia and Iassi

                           *Mainka-Demetrescu seismographs, made in Romania

1967 - Creation of the INCERC seismic network: first strong-motion recording instruments (a SMAC-B accelerograph and a Wilmot seismoscope) installed at INCERC

1977 - Nine strong-motion accelerographs and two Wilmot seismoscopes installed in Romania

1977, March 4th Earthquake – reference accelerogram recorded by the SMAC-B accelerograph at INCERC

After the 1977 earthquake - support provided by USAID: 75 SMA-1 analog strong-motion accelerographs, together with other equipments (totaling US$ 60 M)

1996-1998 - major upgrade of INCERC seismic network : 26 ADS digital accelerometers and 3 SSS8 digital stations for continuous real-time monitoring

2002-2005 – 31 Kinemetrics Etna accelerometers installed in the INCERC-ISC network (instruments provided by the State Inspectorate for Construction, ISC)

2002 – present – other equipments (Kinemetrics, GEOSIG, triaxial accelerometers, servers, workstations, network and communication equipment etc.) *

2004-2008 JAPAN JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency )- MDRT project

 
Text Box: CONSIDERATIONS UPON THE SEISMIC RISK IN ROMANIA A first factor that determines the seismic risk is the natural seismicity, which affects, through several source zones, important parts of Romania’s territory. The most important source is the Vrancea source, which frequently generates earthquakes of strong magnitudes, that affect important parts of the territory with high intensities. The seismologic prognostics anticipate for the next years a Vrancea earthquake, which could be comparable to the earthquakes of 1940 (M=7.4) and 1977 (M=7.2) or even higher, as well as a Fagaras earthquake comparable to the earthquake of 1916 (M=6.5), which had its epicentre in the region where the Arges-Vidraru dam and lake lie today. There are, of course other possibilities that new earthquakes be produced in other seismic zones (Banat, south of Dobroudgea, Tarnave, regions along the north and west borders, etc.). A second very important factor for the effects of the earthquakes is the high vulnerability of certain exposed elements. In case another earthquake, similar to that of 1977 arrive, greater losses are expected due to the fact that the existent constructions were weakened by 1977, 1986 and 1990 earthquakes, and corresponding measures of repairing and consolidation were not taken. Also, a feebler capacity of reaction is expected, due to the decentralization, which occurred in the meantime, and to the lack of a reserve of housing space. A series of analyses of seismic risk made by INCERC show the fact that if the actual situation of constructions is kept for other two or three decades, the risk that affects certain categories of buildings is intolerable. Thus, for the most vulnerable constructions in the capital city (high rise built between the first world war and the second world war), the probability of collapse rise to tens of percents. To be noted that 7% of that type of buildings collapsed in 1977.