The United States Geological Survey
recorded a Magnitude 4.9 Earthquake at a depth of 10.0 km, approximately 2 km to the southeast of the village of Rudna in Lubin County in Lower Silesia
Province, Poland, slightly before 7.20 am local time (slightly before 6.20 am
GMT) on Wednesday 8 July 2020. There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, although it was felt locally.
The approximate location of the 8 July 2020 Lower Silesia Earthquake. USGS
Poland is in northern Europe, an area not noted for its Earthquakes, but
not completely immune either. Like other areas where Earthquakes are
uncommon, it is seldom possible to give a precise cause for Polish
Earthquakes, with both probably being the result of more than one source
of tectonic pressure. The strongest source of tectonic stress in
southern Poland is the impact of Africa with Europe, far to the south.
This is causing uplift and folding in the Alpine region of Central
Europe, and exert pressure on the rocks further to the north. There are
also areas of minor tectonic spreading beneath the Rhine Valley and
North Sea, both of which cause stress over a wide area. Finally there is
glacial rebound; until about 10 000 years ago much of northern and
upland Europe was covered by a thick layer of glacial ice, pushing the
rocks of the lithosphere down into the underlying mantle. This ice is
now gone, and the rocks are slowly springing back into place, causing
occasional Earthquakes in the process.
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
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