A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck the northern Dutch province of Groningen early Friday, marking the strongest tremor the region has experienced in years, according to the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI).
The quake hit at 1:16 a.m. (0016 GMT) with an epicenter near the village of Zeerijp, roughly 10 kilometers west of Delfzijl, at a shallow depth of just 3 kilometers. Residents across the province — from the German border to Drenthe — reported feeling the shaking, though no damage has been confirmed so far, Dutch broadcaster NOS noted. An aftershock measuring 2.0 followed shortly after, KNMI added.
This seismic event ranks as the third-strongest ever recorded in Groningen and the most significant since the 3.4-magnitude quake in Westerwijtwerd in 2019. The province’s most powerful quake on record remains the 3.6 event in Huizinge in 2012.
Earthquakes in Groningen are largely man-made, resulting from decades of natural gas extraction from the Groningen gas field, which began in the 1960s. Although large-scale extraction ended more than two years ago, the ground continues to adjust.
KNMI seismologist Laslo Evers explained that leftover pressure underground remains a trigger. “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 said.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof also commented on the situation, acknowledging the emotional toll on residents: “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,” he wrote on X.
