02-22-2008, 12:13 AM
Norway's Arctic archipelago of Svalbard was rudely awakened early Thursday morning by what's being called the strongest earthquake in Norwegian history.
Aftenposten.no reported that the research institute NORSAR measured the quake at 6.2 on the Richter Scale, and placed its epicenter at Storfjorden, about 140 kilometers (84 miles) southeast of Longyearbyen.
"I think this is the strongest earthquake in Norwegian territory in modern times," Conrad Lindholm, a senior researcher at NORSAR told Aftenposten.no. "This is historic."
Lindholm said quakes have been measured in Norway for about 100 years. Thursday's quake was also picked up by stations around the world including in southern Norway, 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) away.
"I woke up to the entire bed shaking, and the house was rattling," Herdis Lien, a resident of Svalbard's largest settlement at Longyearbyen, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). "It was terribly uncomfortable."
The first shake came at 3:46am. It was followed by a series of aftershocks. Lindholm said the quake and its aftershocks could have caused major damage if it had hit in a built-up, populated area.
Svalbard resident Thomas Küverling told Aftenposten.no that he also was awakened by the shaking and the rattling of glassware in cupboards. He said the initial shake lasted about a minute. For anyone who has experienced strong earthquakes, it often feels like a lot longer.
Police on Svalbard said they'd received no damage reports as of mid-morning, but several calls from worried residents, not least guests at the Polar Hotel.
Earthquakes are not uncommon either on the Norwegian mainland or on its vast offshore continental shelf, but they generally measure less than 4 on the Richter Scale. Stronger and more frequent quakes could have consequences for Norway's major offshore oil and gas industries, and its oil exploration activities.
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/...269271.ece
Aftenposten.no reported that the research institute NORSAR measured the quake at 6.2 on the Richter Scale, and placed its epicenter at Storfjorden, about 140 kilometers (84 miles) southeast of Longyearbyen.
"I think this is the strongest earthquake in Norwegian territory in modern times," Conrad Lindholm, a senior researcher at NORSAR told Aftenposten.no. "This is historic."
Lindholm said quakes have been measured in Norway for about 100 years. Thursday's quake was also picked up by stations around the world including in southern Norway, 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) away.
"I woke up to the entire bed shaking, and the house was rattling," Herdis Lien, a resident of Svalbard's largest settlement at Longyearbyen, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). "It was terribly uncomfortable."
The first shake came at 3:46am. It was followed by a series of aftershocks. Lindholm said the quake and its aftershocks could have caused major damage if it had hit in a built-up, populated area.
Svalbard resident Thomas Küverling told Aftenposten.no that he also was awakened by the shaking and the rattling of glassware in cupboards. He said the initial shake lasted about a minute. For anyone who has experienced strong earthquakes, it often feels like a lot longer.
Police on Svalbard said they'd received no damage reports as of mid-morning, but several calls from worried residents, not least guests at the Polar Hotel.
Earthquakes are not uncommon either on the Norwegian mainland or on its vast offshore continental shelf, but they generally measure less than 4 on the Richter Scale. Stronger and more frequent quakes could have consequences for Norway's major offshore oil and gas industries, and its oil exploration activities.
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/...269271.ece