Magnitude 4.9 Earthquake in western Poland.

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.

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Seven injured and one missing following Magnitude 4.1 Earthquake in Lower Silesia, Poland.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.1 Earthquake at a depth of 10.0 km, approximately 3 km to the southwest of the town of Grębocice in Lower Silesia Province, Poland, slightly before 1.55 pm local time (slightly before 12.55 pm GMT) on Tuesday 29 January 2019. The event was felt across much of southeast Poland, and caused a roof collapse at a copper mine at Rudna, trapping eight miners. Seven of these miners have now been rescued and are being treated at a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, while one remains missing.

The approximate location of the 29 January 2019 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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Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake in Lower Silesia Province, Poland.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake at a depth of 5.4 km, approximately 1 km to the northeast of the town of Polkowice in Lower Silesia Province, Poland, slightly after 5.30 am local time (slightly after 3.30 pm GMT) on Friday 20 July 2018. There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, but people have reported feeling it in Wawsaw.

The approximate location of the 20 July 2018 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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Magnitude 3.0 Earthquake in The Netherlands.

The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute recorded a Magnitude 3.0 Earthquake at a depth of 3 km beneath Groningen Province, close to the town of Loppersum, slightly after 1 am local time on Wednesday 3 July 2013 (slightly after 11.00 pm on Tuesday 2 July 2013, GMT). The quake was felt across much of the province, and is reported to have caused minor damage to buildings, though no injuries have been reported.

The location of the 3 July 2013 Groningen Earthquake. Google Maps.

The Netherlands suffers occasional Earthquakes due to the Lower Rhine Graben, an area of rifting associated with the uplift of the Alps and the collision of Africa with Europe. Essentially (and this is rather simplified) Europe to the east of the the Graben is being pushed northeastward by the northward movement of Africa. This stretches the crust and lithosphere on the Graben, causing it to thin and creating a long rift valley, which the River Rhine follows.

However this quake, and a series of smaller quakes in the Groningen area running up to it, is being widely attributed not to the Lower Rhine Graben, but to the activities of gas extraction company Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (a joint venture owned 50% by Shell and 50% by Exxon Mobile), which has been extracting natural gas from beneath Groningen Province since the 1960s. The company has not sought to deny these allegations,  and has promised to take steps to protect vulnerable buildings in the area, and to find ways to extract gas without such effects. A government investigation into the industry is currently underway.

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. If you felt this quake, or were in the area but did not (which is also useful information) then you can report it to the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute here.

See also Earthquake off the coast of Holland, An Earthquake off the coast of Margate, 8 April 2012 and Earthquake in the Netherlands. 8 September 2011.

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Earthquake off the coast of Holland.

On Saturday 5 January 2013, at 11.15 pm GMT, the British Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 2.7 Earthquake at a depth of 5 km, roughly 20 km off the coast of Den Helder, Holland. This is too small and too far offshore to present a risk of damage or injuries, and may not have been noticed at all.

The location of the 5 January Earthquake. Google Maps.

The Netherlands is not a country always associated with Earthquakes, but it is bounded to the south by the Lower Rhine Graben, an area of tectonic expansion beneath the Rhine Valley, and to the north by the North Sea Central Graben, the Terschelling Graben and The Horn Graben, two similar areas of expansion beneath the North Sea. These areas do not generate new ocean floor or expand on the same scale as the Mid Atlantic Ridge or similar structures, but they do exert pressure on the rocks around the North Sea Basin, and can lead to Earthquakes in any of the countries surrounding the Basin.

Map showing the location of the North Sea Central and Terschelling Grabens. Numbered locations are oil rigs. Abbink et al. (2001).

See also Two Earthquakes in Perthshire in two days, Earthquake beneath the Kattegat Sea, An Earthquake off the coast of Margate, 8 April 2012, Earthquake in the Netherlands. 8 September 2011 and Earthquakes on Sciency Thoughts YouTube.

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Earthquake in the Netherlands. 8 September 2011.

Just after 9.00 pm on Thursday 8 September 2011 the city of Nijmegen in the east of The Netherlands was shaken by a small earthquake. The epicenter of the quake was about 11 km so the southeast of the city, on the German border. The quake was recorded as having a magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter Scale and having occurred at a depth of 14.3 km by the United States Geological Survey and as having a magnitude of 4.3 on the Richter Scale and having occurred at a depth of 10 km by the Centre Sismologique Euro-Méditerranéen. This is a small quake, but very shallow, and it was felt across most of The Netherlands, and in neighbouring Germany as far east as Dortmund. No casualties or significant damage have been reported.

Map from the Centre Sismologique Euro-Méditeranéen, showing the epicenter of the quake (purple star) and the areas where it was felt. Larger circles indicate more people reported feeling the quake, and the colour indicates how severe the shaking they reported was.

Although The Netherlands is not noted for its seismic activity, the eastern part of the country, along with neighboring areas of Germany are part of the Lower Rhine Graben, an area of rifting associated with the uplift of the Alps and the collision of Africa with Europe. Essentially (and this is rather simplified) Europe to the east of the the Graben is being pushed northeastward by the northward movement of Africa. This stretches the crust and lithosphere on the Graben, causing it to thin and creating a long rift valley, which the River Rhine follows.

Simplified diagram showing a cross section through the Rhine Graben. The thinning of the lithosphere on the Graben causes a rift valley at the surface and an uplift in the asthenosphere bellow. In theory this could eventually develop into a full oceanic rift, with new crust being formed, but in this case it is unlikely.

This rifting leads to the occasional small earthquake in the region, though these are more common at the German end of the Graben, the most recent being the Koblenz Earthquake of February this year (2011), which like this quake caused no significant damage. Earthquakes in the Netherlands and western Germany have also occasionally been attributed to the activities of coal miners and drilling for natural gas.

If you felt the quake you can report it to the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute here, the Centre Sismologique Euro-Méditerranéen here and the United States Geological Survey here.

See also Earthquake in the Gulf of Corinth, Torino (Turin) rocked by mild earthquake and Earthquakes on Sciency Thoughts YouTube.