Zubić on earthquake in Montenegro and BiH: Region of contact between two geological and tectonic masses

(Patria) - Geodesy engineer and geography professor at Dobrinja High School Vedran Zubić presented data on the earthquake that shook BiH this morning at 04:07.

"This morning at 04:07, a strong earthquake occurred near the border zone of BiH and Montenegro. BiH's highest mountain, Maglić, is located right on the state border. It should be noted that the highest point of Maglić is on the Montenegrin side (Veliki Vitao 2397 meters). The earthquake was registered precisely in this zone.

According to the information, the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.6 on the Richter scale and occurred at a depth of 7.6 kilometers. This means it is shallow. Its epicenter is 20 km northwest of Plužine, which is precisely the subduction zone of the Outer Dinarides (Maglić).
The general cause of all earthquakes is the activity of the Adriatic microplate, which is sliding beneath this part of Europe. It is responsible for subduction, mountain formation, and seismic activity.

The Outer Dinarides, which is the region extending into BiH south of the Grmeč-Zelengora line and continuing eastward, is a zone of thrusting mountain ranges. If you have a map in front of you, you can see the Golija mountain and the famous Durmitor in this zone, continuing towards Maglić and other border mountains. Between Golija and Durmitor lies the Piva valley, which together with Tara forms the Drina River. Plužine, the epicenter of this morning's earthquake, is located in this fault zone. This area is very seismically active, with an earthquake of 4.2 recorded here in 2013.

Earthquakes between 5 and 5.9 on the Richter scale occur approximately twice a day on the planet. It can be said that it is extremely strong to feel, but not so strong on a global scale. Bar, a city in Montenegro, experienced a seismic catastrophe half a century ago. Montenegro is also tectonically active, and political borders have nothing to do with earthquakes.

This is a region where two geological and tectonic masses meet. Besides the mentioned Outer Dinarides of Mesozoic age, to the north is the Prača Paleozoic region. This contact between different petrological segments creates a constant possibility of seismic activity.

The region is a karst, loose terrain. Earthquakes like this destabilize the limestone surface, making numerous landslides and other slope-gravity phenomena possible, which can cause more damage than the earthquake itself. What we all hope for is that there are no casualties, which is the most important thing at this moment. Hopefully, it will remain that way. Aftershocks can occur, and these ten seconds were certainly not pleasant," concluded Zubić.