About a hundred earthquakes of weaker and stronger intensity are recorded annually in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The most critical areas are eastern and western Herzegovina, the central part of Bosnia and the area around Banja Luka.
Two earthquakes were recorded in the vicinity of Sarajevo in the previous days, the first with a magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter scale, or 2.9.
The epicenter of one of them was 14 kilometers north of the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the other 17 kilometers north of Sarajevo, data from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) showed.
“Regarding the current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the seismic activity is moderate, as it was before. We are recording tremors in the area of central Bosnia, in the last period in Zenica and Sarajevo, Herzegovina is normally active. Also, the fault that runs through Višegrad is active,” said Merjema Genjac-Zukić, expert associate for seismology at the Center for Seismology of the Federal Hydrometeorological Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
She pointed out that seismic activity is standard.
“We can say that we don’t expect any stronger tremors, but it can always happen. We can’t say with certainty that it won’t happen. There are weaker earthquakes below magnitude two that we don’t publish and that we only record for our own needs. They are recorded daily on in all areas. However, earthquakes above 1.5 degrees are not that common. Since the New Year, there have been about a hundred earthquakes,” explained Genjac-Zukić.
He believes that the earthquakes that have been recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina in recent days cannot cause material damage.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the moderately seismically active countries. We can say that Bosnia and Herzegovina is a seismically active area, which means that we record earthquakes of moderate strength up to six degrees on the Richter scale, that is the maximum that can be expected,” emphasized Genjac-Zukić.
In the Federal Hydrometeorological Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina, they make prognostic intensity maps based on return periods of earthquakes.
“A period of 100, 500 years back is observed and each earthquake has its own so-called return period. Based on this, prognostic maps of intensity are made and according to these prognostic maps, an intensity of up to nine degrees of the Mercalli scale, or six degrees of the Richter scale, can be expected. It cannot be said that stronger earthquakes are expected in this area,” said Genjac-Zukić.
She stated that it is difficult to react at the time of the earthquake.
“In those situations, it would be best for citizens to leave the area they are in. But it is difficult to react smartly at that moment, the most important thing is not to panic. There is no universal advice except to stand under the pole, do not go down the stairs until the first impact is over “, said Genjac-Zukić.
She emphasized that an earthquake is a normal phenomenon in the form of the subsidence of tectonic plates, AA writes.
