Swiss Seismological Service (SED)

The Swiss Seismological Service (SED) at ETH Zurich is the federal agency for earthquakes. Its activities are integrated in the federal action plan for earthquake mitigation.

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Help, the earth is shaking! What to do in case of an incident?

Local Time
Mag.
Location
Felt?
2023-09-24 07:07 3.1 Porrentruy JU Slightly felt
2023-09-22 15:47 2.7 RADOLFZELL D Probably not felt
2023-09-19 20:18 3.6 AUSTRIA Slightly felt
2023-09-18 05:10 4.8 3 km SW Marradi (FI) Widely felt
2023-09-12 06:16 2.4 RADOLFZELL D Probably not felt
2023-09-08 18:04 2.5 RADOLFZELL D Slightly felt

Latest Earthquakes

Local Time
Magnitude
Location
2023-10-03 05:10 0.8 Sion VS
2023-10-03 04:20 1.0 Sion VS
2023-10-02 23:53 1.1 Bourg-Saint-Pierre VS
2023-10-02 20:10 0.1 Porrentruy JU

Swiss Earthquakes Counter

since 01.01.2023 
000

Recent earthquakes magnitude 4.5 or greater

Time (UTC)
Mag.
Region
2023-09-23 08:22:23 4.5 Turkey
2023-09-21 22:41:40 4.9 Eastern Greenland
2023-09-20 01:33:09 4.5 Near Coast of Libya
2023-09-19 16:04:11 4.5 Poland
2023-09-18 03:10:14 4.8 3 km SW Marradi (FI)
2023-09-14 05:53:16 4.5 Morocco
2023-09-13 02:33:11 5.1 Jan Mayen Island Region
2023-09-13 00:06:29 5.1 Jan Mayen Island Region
2023-09-13 00:05:38 4.7 Jan Mayen Island Region
2023-09-10 21:43:49 4.9 Iraq
2023-09-08 22:30:44 5.3 Morocco
2023-09-08 22:11:01 6.8 Morocco
2023-09-03 16:35:58 5.0 Eastern Caucasus
UTC Time
Magnitude
Location
2023-09-28 14:40:26 6.0 Vanuatu Islands
2023-09-21 21:11:50 6.1 Vanuatu Islands
2023-09-20 14:45:59 6.0 Central East Pacific Rise
2023-09-18 13:21:24 6.3 Northeast of Taiwan
2023-09-18 13:21:04 6.4 TAIWAN REGION
2023-09-13 11:49:16 6.1 West Chile Rise
2023-09-12 11:03:19 6.3 Philippine Islands region
2023-09-11 12:51:34 6.0 Halmahera, Indonesia
NEWS

2023-09-09

[Available in DE/FR] Starkes Erdbeben in Marokko

Im Hohen Atlas Gebirge in Marokko, rund 70 km südwestlich von Marrakesch, hat sich in einer Tiefe von rund 18 km heute Morgen früh um 00:11 Uhr (Schweizer Zeit) ein Erdbeben der Magnitude 6.8 ereignet.

Die Erschütterungen sind weitläufig verspürt worden, speziell in der Millionenstadt Marrakesch, aber auch in den Küstenstädten Casablanca, Rabat und Agadir am Atlantik. Verspürt wurde das Erdbeben auch im östlichen Nachbarland Algerien sowie in Spanien und Portugal, rund 1000 km entfernt vom Epizentrum. Zudem ereignete sich in der Nähe vom Hauptbeben, rund 20 Minuten später, um 00:31 Uhr (Schweizer Zeit), ein stärkeres Nachbeben mit einer Magnitude von 4.9. Weitere Nachbeben sind in den kommenden Tagen und Wochen zu erwarten. In dieser Region sind Erdbeben zwar eher selten, es gibt aber bekannte grosse Verwerfungszonen.

Die abgelegene Bergregion in der Nähe der Bruchzone ist besonders stark betroffen, denn dort lebt die Bevölkerung mehrheitlich in Häusern aus Lehmziegel oder Lehmkonstruktionen mit unverstärkten Ziegelsteinen, welche stark anfällig für Erdbebenerschütterungen sind. Deshalb kann bei einem Erdbeben dieser Stärke die Zahl der Todesopfer und Verletzten hoch ausfallen. Neben den Bergregionen weist gemäss Medienmeldungen auch die Millionenstadt Marrakesch hohe Opferzahlen auf.

2023-08-25

Visit us at Scientifica!

This year it's time again: On 2 and 3 September, Switzerland's largest science festival takes place at three locations of ETH and the University of Zurich. At over 60 exhibition booths and other events, you will experience current research on the topic of "What holds the world together". We from the Swiss Seismological Service at ETH Zurich are also taking part and will be exploring the question of how we can manage earthquakes together at our exhibition booth and in a short lecture.

Earthquakes shake the world without warning. Switzerland's first publicly accessible earthquake risk model shows the effects earthquakes can have on people and buildings. It creates a valuable basis for the population, authorities, and the economy to better prepare Switzerland for earthquakes and to manage them with joint forces in the event of an incident. Where is the earthquake risk highest? What to do when the earth shakes? You will find answers to these and other questions at our exhibition booth on the ETH Polyterrasse. Get a better understanding of the expected impacts of earthquakes and learn in a playful way what measures you can take at home to be better prepared for the next earthquake. 

You will receive further information on the topic at the short lecture by Prof. Stefan Wiemer, Director of the Swiss Seismological Service. The short lecture takes place on Sunday, 3 September, at 2 p.m., at the ETH Campus Hönggerberg (admission without ticket).
You will receive further information on the topic at the short lecture by Prof. Stefan Wiemer, Director of the Swiss Seismological Service. The short lecture will take place on Sunday, 3 September, at 2 p.m. on the ETH Hönggerberg campus (in German, no ticket needed).

More informationen
Visit us at Scientifica!

2023-08-25

[Available in DE/FR] Spürbares Erdbeben nahe der Schweizer Grenze

Am Freitag, dem 25. August 2023, hat sich um 3:10 Uhr (Ortszeit) zwischen Singen und Radolfzell am Bodensee (D), in einer ungefähren Tiefe von 10 km ein Erdbeben der Magnitude 3.4 ereignet. Die Erschütterungen des Bebens waren auch in der Schweiz leicht zu spüren, insbesondere in der Region Schaffhausen. Bei einem Erdbeben dieser Magnitude sind keine Schäden zu erwarten.

Dieses Beben ist das bisher Stärkste einer seit einigen Monaten aktiven Sequenz in der Nähe von Singen, gefolgt von dem Magnitude 3.2 Beben am 29. Juni 2023 und einem Beben am 27. Juni 2023 mit einer Magnitude von 3.1. Beide Beben wurden ebenfalls bis in die Schweiz verspürt.

[Available in DE/FR] Spürbares Erdbeben nahe der Schweizer Grenze

2023-06-29

[Available in DE] Mehrere spürbare Erdbeben bei Singen (D)

Am Donnerstag, 29. Juni 2023 hat sich um 17:57 Uhr (Ortszeit) 2 km östlich von Singen (D), in einer ungefähren Tiefe von 10 km ein Erdbeben der Magnitude 3.2 ereignet. Die Erschütterungen des Bebens waren auch in der Schweiz, vor allem in der Region Schaffhausen, zu spüren. Innerhalb einer Stunde nach dem Erdbeben sind beim Schweizerischen Erdbebendienst (SED) an der ETH Zürich über 30 Verspürtmeldungen eingegangen. Bei einem Erdbeben dieser Magnitude sind keine Schäden zu erwarten.

In der gleichen Gegend haben sich seit Dienstag mehrere kleinere Beben ereignet: ein Erdbeben der Magnitude 3.1 am Dienstagmittag und eines der Magnitude 2.6 am Donnerstagabend um 17:28 Uhr. Beide Beben wurden ebenfalls bis in die Schweiz verspürt.

TOPICS

Earthquake

Help, the Earth Is Shaking!

Earthquakes are inevitable, but the damage they may be expected to cause can be mitigated in relatively simple ways. Find out the recommended behaviour before, during and after a powerful earthquake.

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Help, the Earth Is Shaking!

Knowledge

Earthquake Country Switzerland

Switzerland experiences between 1'000 and 1'500 earthquakes a year. Swiss citizens actually feel somewhere between 10 and 20 quakes a year, usually those with a magnitude of 2.5 or above. Based on the long-term average, 23 quakes with a magnitude of 2.5 or above occur every year. Find out more about the natural hazards with the greatest damage-causing potential in Switzerland.

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Earthquake Country Switzerland

Alerting

Always Informed

If you want to be kept informed at all times, here you will find an overview of the various information services provided by the Swiss Seismological Service (SED).

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Always Informed

Knowledge

Earthquake Hazard

In Switzerland, earthquakes are the natural hazard with the greatest potential for causing damage. They cannot currently be prevented or reliably predicted. But, thanks to extensive research, much is now known about how often and how intensely the earth could shake at a given location in the future. Consult a variety of different maps using our interactive web tool to find out how likely certain earthquakes are in Switzerland.

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Earthquake Hazard

Research & Teaching

Fields of Research

We are often asked what staff at the SED do when no earthquakes are occurring. The answer is they conduct research in a variety of fields, constituting SED's main scientific activities described in our research field section.

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Fields of Research

About Us

Swiss Seismological Service (SED)

The Swiss Seismological Service (SED) at ETH Zurich is the federal agency responsible for monitoring earthquakes in Switzerland and its neighboring countries and for assessing Switzerland’s seismic hazard. When an earthquake happens, the SED informs the public, authorities, and the media about the earthquake’s location, magnitude, and possible consequences. The activities of the SED are integrated in the federal action plan for earthquake mitigation.

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Swiss Seismological Service (SED)

Earthquakes

Earthquake Monitoring

Around 10 to 20 times a year you will hear or read about an earthquake occurring in Switzerland. However, the vast majority of quakes recorded by the SED go unnoticed by the general public because they fall below the threshold of human perception and can only be detected by sensitive measuring devices. The Swiss Seismological Service (SED) operates a network of more than 200 seismic stations across Switzerland.

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Earthquake Monitoring

Research and Teaching

Products and Software

Go to our Products page for access to seismic data and various apps.

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Products and Software