Scenarios

Earthquake scenarios show the possible effects of earthquakes in Switzerland. They are an essential element of earthquake preparedness and help the public, authorities and the economy to be better prepared for earthquakes and their possible consequences.

Based on data from the earthquake risk model of Switzerland, 59 scenarios were calculated. They illustrate the expected consequences of ten historical earthquakes and for a damaging magnitude-6 earthquake for every cantonal capital and one other locality in each canton. Such an earthquake happens on average every 50 to 150 years somewhere in Switzerland or its neighbouring regions.

Click on one of the symbols on the interactive map below to take a closer look at a scenario.

We highly recommend opening the PDF files with Adobe Acrobat to ensure the correct display. Please note that the Mac Preview programme sometimes renders the colours incorrectly.

All information is provided without warranty 

The earthquake scenarios are based on assumptions derived from the earthquake risk model of Switzerland (ERM-CH23). The actual values may vary considerably under certain circumstances; therefore, all information is provided without warranty and is subject to change.