Groningen hit with province’s third-strongest earthquake ever

During the early hours of Friday morning, many residents in Groningen felt tremors, as the area was struck by an earthquake. With a magnitude of 3,4, the earthquake was the third-strongest earthquake in the province’s history.

Earthquake with magnitude of 3,4 hits Groningen

At 1.16am on Friday, November 14, an earthquake shook the province of Groningen. According to the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute (KNMI), it was the third-strongest earthquake ever recorded in the province.

The epicentre of the 3,4 magnitude earthquake was near Zeerijp, 10 kilometres west of Delfzijl, and was felt across a large part of Groningen. The quake struck at a depth of 3 kilometres and had an aftershock with a magnitude of 2 measured at 6.39am, reports NOS.

"The tremor was felt from the German border to the Drenthe border. It was immediately clear to us that something was wrong," said Daniel Theelen, who follows the gas dossier for RTV Noord. The regional broadcaster’s tremor alarm received hundreds of reports.

Groningen earthquakes from past gas extraction

In 2024, Groningen was struck by six earthquakes above a magnitude of 1,5, which is the magnitude at which people can feel a quake. The last major earthquake, which occurred in 2019, was slightly weaker than the most recent one.

The strongest earthquake ever measured in the province occurred in 2012 near Huizinge, when a magnitude of 3,6 was recorded. Groningen is plagued by earthquakes as a result of gas extraction, which began in the province in the 1960s.

While gas extraction has not taken place in Groningen for more than two years, earthquakes are still possible. "That's because there's still tension in the subsurface from the gas extraction at the time,” explains KNMI seismologist Läslo Evers. “Every now and then, that tension is released by faults in the gas field; that's an earthquake."