An earthquake of magnitude 3.1 hit the Groningen village of Wirdum at 4.17 am on Saturday. It reports that KNMI. It is the strongest earthquake of this year and one of the ten heaviest earthquakes measured in Groningen so far.
It is not yet known whether the quake caused any damage. The quake occurred at a depth of 3 kilometers, the same as previous earthquakes in Groningen, and is ‘induced’, according to the KNMI, which means that there is no natural cause. Earthquakes are more frequent in the area as a result of gas extraction.
The epicenter of the earthquake was about a kilometer from the center of Wirdum, between Loppersum and Appingedam. Vibrations were measured up to close to Enschede. Users also report on social media that they have felt the quake – not only in the immediate vicinity, but also in the city of Groningen.
“Someone shook my bed briefly and firmly, bizarre feeling”, writes Dorine Sibbes from Beijum, about 14 kilometers from the center of the quake. “I would like to go back to sleep but my heart is beating in my throat.” Also Menno van der Meer from Garrelsweer, near the quake, writes that he woke up. “Little shocks tonight.”
In 2015, there was an earthquake in Hellum in Groningen with the same magnitude as this Saturday. This resulted in 1200 damage reports in a few days. A damaged home had to be evacuated.
Renepaas René Paas Many people in our @provgroningen woke up this morning with a loud bang. The damage caused by the #earthquake at Wirdum – one of the toughest in our history – is still incalculable. The anger and helplessness are already there. I wish everyone good luck with the consequences. October 8, 2022 @ 05:05
Parliamentary inquiry
Two weeks ago there were two earthquakes near Uithuizen in the north of Groningen in a short time. Of these, the heaviest had a strength of 2.7. The strongest earthquake in the province was near Huizinge on August 16, 2012. It had a power of 3.6 and dealt a lot of damage.
The earthquakes have so far affected thousands of Groningen residents. How that could have happened, and why the recovery operation barely got off the ground, is currently the subject of a parliamentary inquiry.
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