M2.8, 9KM NORTH-EAST OF GRONINGEN, NETHERLANDS,11:42 UTC.
A minor magnitude 2.8 earthquake strikes Groningen, causing minor damage.
A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck about 9 kilometres (5.7 miles) north-east of Groningen, Netherlands. The city of 180,000 people was badly shaken by the minor tremor, a very frequent event that the people of Groningen are having to get used to.
The Netherlands is not renowned for its tectonic seismic activity, but in the north-east of the country near Groningen there exists an extensive gas field which has kept the country's economy afloat for nearly two decades. This gas field has led to numerous minor tremors since 1996, including earthquakes up to magnitude 3.6 (16th August 2012), and over time these earthquakes have caused minor damage to building interiors, interior walls and structural walls of many new and old buildings within Groningen city and its surrounding villages and towns.
The issue of this induced seismic activity has brought Royal Dutch Shell into direct confrontation with the populace of Groningen, many of whom have suffered uninsured damages to their properties. This earthquake has been no different (see below). The government is reluctant to reduce gas extraction levels as the taxes from the extraction is keeping the Dutch economy healthy and alleviated the sorts of problems that larger economies in Europe, such as Ireland, Italy, Spain & Portugal, faced during the Financial Meltdown of 2008-09.
Magnitude & location parameters:
KNMI (Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute):
M2.8, 53.271N, 6.673E, 3km depth
KNMI are a local seismic agency whose location and magnitude parameters will prove highly accurate for quakes within the Netherlands. They are highly reliable in this instance.
GEOFON (Potsdam):
M3.1, 53.35N, 6.40E, 3km depth
GEOFON are a teleseismic agency whose location and magnitude parameters will prove unreliable due to the scarcity of local data sources within the Netherlands or neighbouring Germany. They are less reliable than KNMI in this instance.
Images of damage:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/
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