The earthquake in Skåne 2008

Earthquakes occur when the stresses that build up due to movements in the earth's crust or upper mantle are released. Large amounts of energy are released and disseminated in the form of seismic waves through the earth. It is these waves that cause the shaking felt by an earthquake. Earthquakes can occur under a variety of conditions. The areas in the world most affected by earthquakes lie at or near the boundaries between the various tectonic plates that build up the earth's crust. Earthquakes also occur during volcanic eruptions and land elevations . Nuclear weapons tests underground also trigger minor earthquakes.

The reason that most and most powerful earthquakes are registered near the boundary between the tectonic plates is that the greatest stresses build up in these zones. At the plate boundaries are also found the vast majority of the earth's volcanoes .


Large earthquakes are always followed by a long series of aftershocks that can last for months and amount to several thousands. In the case of the most powerful earthquakes, there can in rare cases be huge aftershocks that are almost as powerful as the headquake. Sometimes the great quake is preceded by many pre-quakes . This can also be due to collision zones that cause plates to collide.

The earthquake in Skåne was an earthquake that hit southern Sweden on December 16, 2008 at approximately 06:22 Swedish time , with an epicenter in southern Skåne , 33 kilometers east of Malmö and 25 kilometers northwest of Ystad in the Skurup region at a depth of 18 km.  Its magnitude on the logarithmic Moment Magnitude Scale was reported to be between 4.2 (USA) and 4.9 (Germany). The reputed French institute CSEM later set the magnitude to 4.3. The quake was felt, except in Skåne, in the Borå region , Småland , Blekinge , Halland , Copenhagen , Roskilde , Odense , Bornholm and in the three German states Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania , Schleswig-Holstein and Brandenburg down to the Berlin region, as well as in the northwest Poland around Szczecin . 

The extent of the quake 

Powerful earthquakes are very rare in Sweden, which rests on thick and cold crust and are far from the nearest plate boundary .  earthquake must have been caused by movements in the earth's crust in the so-called Tornquist zone - a two to five mile wide strip of cracks and faults in the bedrock that runs across Skåne. 

Many fled to their basements after being awakened by their homes and bedrooms shaking.  alarm telephones of the police in Skåne went hot.  Turning Torso in Malmö, Skåne's tallest building with its 190 meters, began according to Aftonbladet and several witnesses to sway heavily;  building will withstand shaking as strong as 7 on the Richter scale. 

The quake measured according to the European Seismological Institute, Center Sismologique Euro-Méditerranéen , preliminary measurement 4.8 on the Richter scale  and thus would have been the strongest in Scandinavia since 1904 .  Then the whole of southern Scandinavia was shaken by the so-called Oslofjord quake , which mainly affected Bohuslän and southeastern Norway .  Newer calculations of the quake in Skåne fromHowever, the United States Geological Survey  and the Swedish National Seismic Network (SNSN)] indicate that it was smaller, between 4.2 and 4.4 on the Richter scale. In that case, it was only the strongest earthquake in Sweden since 1986.   Center Sismologique Euro-Méditerranéen previously reported a magnitude of 4.8, though according to a different type of scale than the one used by SNSN in its accounting, which should explain the difference. in numbers considered. Nowadays CSEM reports on the same scale as both SNSN and USGS, now with magnitude 4.3.  TT stated on December 17, 2008 that the USGS and EMSC have made new calculations giving the magnitude 4.3. 

Injuries 

The county administrative board in Skåne county called on its crisis management organization to review any damage after the severe earthquake, but no serious personal or property damage was reported, despite the fact that several people went to hospitals in Skåne on Tuesday.  An investigation was carried out at the Öresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark looking for cracks and other problems from the effects of the vibrations. bridge was not closed to traffic and the trains continued to run as usual. In at least two churches, Everlöv's church and Blentarp's church, both from the 12th century , cracked walls and vaults. 

Many experienced sounds at the quake, which is not uncommon when the waves that the earthquake produces many kilometers far down into the earth reach the earth's surface.