By Necva Tastan Sevinc
ISTANBUL (AA) - A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck the northern Dutch province of Groningen early Friday, marking the most powerful tremor to hit the region in years, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) reported.
The quake occurred at 1.16 am (0016GMT) with its epicenter near the village of Zeerijp, about 10 kilometers west of Delfzijl, at a shallow depth of 3 kilometers.
It was widely felt across the province, from the German border to Drenthe, though no damage has been reported, Dutch broadcaster NOS said. An aftershock of magnitude 2.0 followed, KNMI added.
The tremor is the third-strongest ever measured in Groningen and the most severe since a 3.4-magnitude quake struck Westerwijtwerd in 2019. The strongest recorded quake in the province measured 3.6 in Huizinge in 2012.
Groningen has experienced man-made earthquakes for decades due to gas extraction from the Groningen gas field, which began in the 1960s. Although large-scale extraction was halted more than two years ago, seismic activity continues.
KNMI seismologist Laslo Evers said subsurface tension from previous gas extraction still triggers occasional quakes. “There’s still tension in the subsurface from earlier gas extraction. Every now and then, that tension is released by faults in the gas field, that’s an earthquake,” he explained.
“The shock is deep after last night’s heavy earthquake, proof of the impact that gas extraction still has in the province. We continue to work hard on reinforcement, damage compensation and a future economic perspective for all Groningers,” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on the US social media company X.