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2008-11-15 ML 4.1 BULGARIA

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Magnitude	ML 4.1
Region	BULGARIA
Date time	2008-11-15 20:08:19.9 UTC
Location	42.66 N ; 23.29 E
Depth	5 km
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Questionnaires result

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Witness location : 4 Km S Sofia (Bulgaria) (2 km E from epicenter)

It was very short - about 2 seconds, but very strong. And it was both - vertical and the horizontal with very loud noise - like explosion.

Witness location : 1 Km S Sofia (Bulgaria) (3 km NE from epicenter)

Cette secousse m'a parut intense, mais fut tres courte. (3sec)
Je n'ai pu determiner s'il s'agissait d'un tremblement de terre ou d'une explosion au debut, du fait du bruit suivant la secousse (bruit sourd mais fort), et de ma premiere experience d'un tel evenement.

En tout cas, j'ai eu l'impression que tout a bouge au moment de la secousse (meme les murs!!) et ai ressenti 2/3 a coups successifs. Mis a part un meuble lourd et la TV rien d'autre ne semble avoir bouge, ce qui pourrait s'expliquer par une secousse verticale.

Un moment que personne ne souhaiterait jamais vivre a coup sur!

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

The quake was 3 quick strong pushes for about 2-3seconds accompanied by a deep bass sound, just like a super powerful car bass, only 100 times more powerful and more frightening.
The whole floor of the building shifted and it was quite scary. 
The dog woke up then ran away and hide under the bed.

However some people on the streets have not experienced it, and some people in the mountains nearby (just 10-20km away) have not felt it...

The higher the floor you were, the stronger the quake was.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

Spored men tova e neshto normalno dori i opasno.Sreshto prirodata nikoi ne moje da zastane i predotvrati sluchvashtite se neshta.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

it was too short although with a moderate strength

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

два труса - предходен ден около 22 часа; следващ ден около 7 часа

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

There were two waves, the first one was a short, vertical one with a very strong furst pulse. The second one was horizontal with evenly distributed force between all pulses.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

Very short, vertical impact (I was on a chair so I could feel the upwards force clearly). Low frequency noise (very well audible).

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

it felt like a bomb explosion. i have never have experienced such an earh quake! very strange feeling but though it was very strong it was short and sofia is a loud city so in the center were no people on the streets.



this morning while sleeping we felt a slight explosion too, a smaller earth quake, also very short...

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

Първонагално се чу силен тътен, а в последствие (по време на самия трус) усещането ми беше, че е минало електричество през тялото ми.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

I was kicked off the couch by a sudden shake, together with a single noise - as if a bulldozer pushed to destruct the wall behind me. It happened about 22:10 local time. After this single hit, it continued to shake much less intensively to about 22:30. All lamps, as well as plants in the flat on our 15th floor were shaking. I stood below the door frame and waited it to stop.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

At first we felt something like a strong explosion, then the building shaked strongly for about 5-6 seconds, then it stopped.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

Le tremblement de terre faisait comme une intrusion par forcce dans l'appartement, comme si a l'aide d'un bulldozer

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

It was very short, but very abrupt. Just before the movement there was a sound, as a thunder or an explotion, which was unusual for me. And some whistling in the air, as if strong wind was blowing (though that might be a sound from the building, but I've heard it before feeling the shock). I felt generally a vertical movement. It longed for less than a minute, perhaps 20 - 40 seconds, but strong enough.

I have a dog and two cats. The dog was very excited 3-5 minutes before the shock; he was barking and running to the front door (untypical for him and I scolded him).

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

The earthquake was strong. Its sound was like explosion of fireworks, but it's duration was just a second and may be thats why there wasn't serious damages

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

It was not a big earthquake, but it took longer than expected - about 10 seconds and there were at least two clear moments of heavier swaying of the floor, each for a second or two.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

just was terrible as usual-i have a lott of experiance with earthquake....

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

It was very short, about 3 seconds! I think with only 3 vertical muvments!

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

I heard two explosions at first (like something exploding on the street outside) and then i felt vertical trembling.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

Vibrations

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

It was an vertical movement(up and down). It felt like everything went up and down about 5-6 cm

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

Nous avons sentis 2 secousses tres courtes espacees de quelques secondes

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

It was my first vertical earthquake ant it was horrible.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

very brief, vertical earthquake

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

Вертикален трус с един силен тласък, последван от няколко затихващи

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

I did not feel any horizontal movement. The impact was only in vertical direction, felt as two quick strokes, like grand furniture fall on the upper floor(ceiling) from certain height. That is why hanging objects did not move.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

It was suddenly just like jump down. Sound was like detonation. Only the lamp in south rooms swung. My next door neighbours said the same thing.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

3-4 секунди след разклащането се чу пукане от стените

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

По мой данни трусът е усетен в южните квартали на София, но със сигуност не е усетен във Велинград!

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

I'm a child and this was my first earthquake! I was very afraid!

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

the feeling was no horisontal shake it was more up and down, loud noise.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

lastet 5 sec., came from direction vitosha mountain. like one wave.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

Vertikalno, 2 trusa prez niakolko sekundi.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

In the beginning the sensation was as it would be an explosion and then it started to tremble

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

Все едно не беше заметресение, а взрив. По всички медии се лансира версията за земетресение. Ако е било земетресение то е било вертикално.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

it was like the floor dived down 10-15 cm in an instant so i was practically standing in the air and after that it kicked up about the same lenght. this happened 3 times with decreasing amplitude in no more than 20 seconds

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

Aftershock from yesterday evening. That main quacke was level 4.0. This one took like 3 small shocks within 2-2,5 seconds

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

There was a noise like a bomb.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

My exact location: 
42d 40' 09.5" N
023d 14' 45.5 E

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

First I heard something like a thunder or maybe like an explosion, and seconds after that the earthquake started. The interesting thing was that a moment after that some local TV channels reported that a huge explosion in a military storehouse in Sofia has happened and this might have provoked the earthquake.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

For those of us inside a tall building during the earthquake, it sounded like a bomb went off inside the building. The shaking was violent and sudden but suprisingly did not cause furniture or objects to move.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

Например прочетох коментар във форум, че в кв. Княжево не е усетено нищо?!

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

Много кратко, сякаш удърна вълна от взрив

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

explosion sound, vertical shake, felt by all in Sofia

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km NE from epicenter)

i felt unprepared for this

Witness location : 3 Km SE Sofia (Bulgaria) (4 km E from epicenter)

The sound before the shaking was like a bomb explosion immediately followed by tremor.This was round 22.10 local time in Bulgaria on 15.11.2008. Round 07.00 , on 16.11.2008 I felt other shock bur less strong then the previous one at 22.10.

Witness location : Sofia (Bulgaria) (5 km NE from epicenter)

There was one single shake, about 3 - 4 seconds, it felt like a wave passing through. The lamps were shaking, as well as the water in the bottles. It wasn't frightening, but it was trong on the higher floors. As I know, there is a fault ander the Vitosha mountain and it's thought that it occured the eartquake.

Witness location : 5 Km SE Sofia (Bulgaria) (5 km E from epicenter)

in my district Druzhba only moderate effects. In the western part of the city definitely more effects on people and buildings.

Witness location : 3 Km NW Sofia (Bulgaria) (5 km NW from epicenter)

I felt sharp jumping together with double explosion. About 2 seconds later there was a weak jump with a slight swaying. Duration 4-5 seconds.

Witness location : 3 Km NW Sofia (Bulgaria) (5 km NW from epicenter)

At first, two joint explosions together with a vertical jump; 1-2 seconds after - a new weak vertical jump with slight swaying. All these effects occured within a interval of 4-5 seconds.

Witness location : 6 Km SE Sofia (Bulgaria) (6 km E from epicenter)

In the first moment I thought it was explosion. First I heard the noise, after that the glasses rang and the third thing was to feel the impact, which was very short - just one impact and  1 or 2 shakings after that

Witness location : 4 Km N Sofia (Bulgaria) (8 km N from epicenter)

It was very short and quite strong, the feeling was as if something very heavy was dropped on the floor below me, or a nearby construction had fallen. No sounds, but definitely a powerful few up-down movements. By the way, if you are precise with the center of the quake, it seems I live just 150 meters from the epicenter. But I wasn't there at that time. Anyway, there was no damage whatsoever to the buildings there too...

Witness location : 8 Km SE Sofia (Bulgaria) (8 km E from epicenter)

it was more vertical than lateral

Witness location : 7 Km S Novi Iskar (Bulgaria) (10 km N from epicenter)

My comment will be very bad for te government but that's te true. 1 hour after te earthquake they just become to give the firstable information which it is still not confirmed. I will not continue make your opinions by yourselves.

Witness location : 10 Km N Sofia (Bulgaria) (13 km N from epicenter)

There was only one shock

Witness location : 10 Km N Sofia (Bulgaria) (13 km N from epicenter)

The same experience was shared with people allocated on different levels/floors.My impresion is that the strenght was the same on the ground or 10th floor

Witness location : Novi Iskar (Bulgaria) (17 km N from epicenter)

Нямах чувство за земетресение. Имах чувство, че много текък предмет пада отвисоко. Струваше ми се, че рухва къщата. Беше много внезапно и рязко, но не видях нищо да се клати, т. е. беше строго вертикално. Имах усещане за 6-7 степен, макар и за няколко секунди. Бях в Токио през август тази година и там имаше земетресение (според мен тук имаше трус, но НЕ ОТ ЗЕМЕТРЕСЕНИЕ) 3,6 по Рихтер. Усетих го съвсем слабо. Абсурд е да се твърди, че тук е било 4 по Рихтер. Освен това помня последното голямо земетресение от 4 март 1977 г. Аз съм на 49 г. Не вярвам, че е земетресение.

Witness location : Novi Iskar (Bulgaria) (17 km N from epicenter)

Хората са неподготвени и никак не са наясно как би трябвало да реагират при евентуален по-силен трус. В България няма достатъчно информация за това в какво състояние е сградният фонд!