Groningen village hit by 2.4 magnitude earthquake; Third in as many weeks
The Groningen village of Uithuizen was shaken by an earthquake this morning. The quake registered 2.4 magnitude on the Richter scale at 2:39 a.m. on Friday, meteorological institute KNMI reported. It was the third quake in the area in three weeks.
The KNMI called it an “induced” earthquake, which means the gas extraction in the province caused it. On August 28, there was a 1.3 magnitude earthquake near Uithuizen, and on August 19, one that measured 1.9 on the Richter scale.
Friday’s quake was felt in a wide area, including in Uithuizermeerder and Zandeweer, RTV Noord reports. Many people called in to report it.
“You just heard it roll under the house. Everything moved in the house. Very scary,” one local said to the broadcaster. Another had just arrived home from work when everything started shaking. “That was another big one,” he said to the broadcaster.
The State Supervision of Mines told ANP that due to the soft ground in the area, local residents will have noticed the quake. The agency expects that it caused some damage.