An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.1 occurred early Saturday morning near Wirdum (Groningen). The quake happened at 4.17 am, according to the KNMI. The KNMI initially reported that the quake had a magnitude of 3.2, but later adjusted this.
The shock occurred at a depth of 3 kilometers and was induced, according to the KNMI, which means that there is no natural cause. Earthquakes occur more frequently in Groningen as a result of gas extraction.
Many people write on social media that they felt the shock. Messages not only come from the immediate vicinity of Wirdum, but from far and wide. In the city of Groningen, too, people felt the ground tremble. “Roughly shaken awake at 04.17”, Groningen States member Margriet Donker wrote on Twitter. “Go back to sleep now.”
The heaviest earthquake to date in Groningen was on August 16, 2012, near Huizinge, also in the northeast of the province. That quake had a magnitude of 3.6. Two weeks ago, residents of Uithuizen, just north of Wirdum, were quickly startled by two quakes, with a magnitude of 2.7 and 1.7.
