A low intensity earthquake was felt around Caen this Monday, October 7, early in the morning. With a magnitude of 2.7 degrees on the Richter scale, it is not expected to cause much damage.
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An earthquake in Normandy is rare enough to be underlined. This Monday, October 7, the earth shook around Caen at 9:34 a.m. precisely. The epicenter of the earthquake was located in Cambes-en-Plaine, 4 kilometers deep.
The shaking was measured at 2.7 on the Richter scale. “It’s very small, a very weak tremor, we are above triggering a macroseismic investigationanalyzes Christophe Sira, engineer at the French central seismological office (BCSF). The specialist specifies that at this intensity, “the energy is very low, as are the surface consequences. There should be no damage to buildings.“.
I heard something like an explosion, a roar under my feet.
Comment from a resident of the Caen area on franceseisme.fr
The shock was felt in several towns around Caen. On the site franceseisme.fr, Norman Internet users filled out testimonial forms from Cambes-en-Plaine, Sannerville, Caen, Bieville-Beuville, Bretteville l’orgueilleuse, Fleury-sur-Orne, Cresserons and even Douvres-la-Délivrande …
Are there any significant risks when living in Normandy? Not really, says Daniel Amorese, seismologist at the University of Caen. The west of the region is based on ancient faults, which can cause earthquakes, explains the specialist, who specifies that “le risk is higher than zero mbut it is not huge compared to regions like the Pyrenees or the Alps, which are in contact with plate boundaries.”
The entire Channel as well as almost all of Orne and Calvados are in a “low seismicity zone”, when Seine-Maritime and Eure integrate a “very low seismicity zone”. The last notable earthquake in the region was recorded on November 11, 2023 in Cotentin. With a magnitude of 3.5 on the Richter scale, its epicenter was located southeast of Cherbourg.