The earth shook in Normandy on the morning of Monday October 7, 2024. Not enough to cause the city to collapse, but some residents north of Caen (Calvados) still felt the ground wobble under their feet.
At exactly 9:34 a.m., an earthquake measuring 2.7 on the Richter scale was recorded by the French central seismological office (BCSF). The epicenter of the earthquake was located in Cambes-en-Plaine, 4 kilometers deep.
“No real risk”
The tremor 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, Biéville-Beuville, Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse, Fleury-sur-Orne, Cresserons and even Douvres-la- Deliverance…
If this phenomenon, very unusual in our territory, may be surprising, there is no “no real risk” according to Daniel Amorese, seismologist at the University of Caen, interviewed by our colleagues from France 3 Calvados. He details that “the west of the region lies on ancient faults, which can cause earthquakes.” “The risk is higher than zero but it is not enormous compared to regions like the Pyrenees or the Alps, which are in contact with plate boundaries”he explains.
The last significant earthquake in Normandy (magnitude 3.5) dates back to November 11, 2023 in Cotentin. Even if some tremors can sometimes be felt, the departments of Manche, Orne and Calvados are in a state of “low seismicity zone”. Seine-Maritime and Eure are in a “zone of very low seismicity”.
