Video: Magnitude 3.0 earthquake near Eleveld gas field wakes residents near Assen
A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck near the Eleveld gas field in Drenthe early Saturday, waking residents across the area including the nearby city of Assen, according to the KNMI.
The tremor occurred at 2:14 a.m. slightly southeast of Assen, the meteorological institute said, citing automatic measurements. The quake was classified as an induced earthquake, meaning it was caused by human activity rather than natural geological processes.
The shaking was widely felt in the region. Several residents in Assen said on social media that the tremor woke them up. One person wrote on X, “This one was clearly felt in Assen.” Another resident posted: “So that’s what I heard/felt — now back to sleep (I hope).”
Others described stronger shaking and noise inside their homes. One resident wrote, “The whole house shook and there was a huge rumbling.”
A reader from Assen told NU.nl that “it started to vibrate and it seemed as if a heavy storm suddenly broke loose,” after which the house briefly shook violently.
The earthquake occurred in the municipality of Aa en Hunze near the Eleveld gas field, where several noticeable tremors were also recorded in 2023.
Three years ago, multiple earthquakes were recorded in a single month near the field. Those tremors measured magnitudes of 2.2 and 1.3 near Ekehaar and 1.9 in Hooghalen.
Gas extraction at the Eleveld field ended several months ago because the site was no longer considered profitable.
Earlier this year, the Commissie Mijnbouwschade said it disagrees with the amount of compensation being paid to residents of Ekehaar and Hooghalen who suffered damage linked to gas extraction at the nearby field. In its own investigation, the commission called for a broader compensation scheme for affected residents.
