A 24-hour seismograph showing the central Swiss earthquake on March 6, 2017
Observatorium Montsevelier, Val Terbi
Last year was a record one for earthquakes in Switzerland and its neighbours – with about 1,230 earthquakes detected, including the most powerful one in over a decade.
This content was published on
1 minute
SDA-ATS/sm
According to the Swiss Seismological ServiceExternal link, the year 2017 was a busy one in Swiss earthquake history. On March 6, Switzerland was shaken by an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.6. Its epicentre was near Urnerboden in central Switzerland, and people felt it in many parts of the country. In addition to startling people, it caused minor damage and set off 100 aftershocks.
On July 1, an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.3 occurred near Château-d’Oex in western Switzerland, triggering about 240 aftershocks.
“In 2017, 23 earthquakes occurred with magnitudes of 2.5 or higher, in line with the average for the past 42 years. The earthquake activity was concentrated mainly in the Valais, Graubünden and the area along the Alpine front,” reports the Swiss Seismological Service. More than 700 were microearthquakes, with magnitudes under 1.0.
Located at federal technology institute ETH Zurich, the Swiss Seismological Service is the federal agency for earthquakes. Its activities are integrated in the federal action plan for earthquake precaution.
More
More
Preparing for a seismic disaster
This content was published on
In mid-May, the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP) put hundreds of experts through their paces as part of a tri-national earthquake disaster exercise that took place near Basel. Why Basel? The most devastating earthquake recorded in central Europe occurred here in 1356, with a magnitude of 6.5 to 7.0 on the Richter scale.…
Swiss regulator criticises banks for being lax with mortgages
This content was published on
Switzerland's financial watchdog has condemned a tendency for banks to apply less stringent internal guidelines for granting mortgage loans.
Uber drivers subject to the law on services in Geneva
This content was published on
The Federal Court has ruled against a Geneva-based company, a partner of Uber, which challenged its liability under the law on the hiring of services.
Swiss nuclear power plants are not at risk from flooding
This content was published on
According to an inspection by the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate, the safety-relevant buildings of the Swiss nuclear power plants are not at risk.
Swiss Fairtrade label breaks billion franc barrier in sales
This content was published on
Products with the Fairtrade Max Havelaar label generated sales of more than CHF1 billion in Switzerland for the first time last year.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Earthquakes trigger concern over geothermal power
This content was published on
Geothermal energy is an inexhaustible, clean and constant energy source. By the year 2050,it’s hoped that up to 10 % of the country’s energy needs will be covered by around 200 geothermal energy stations. But there’s still a lot of uncertainty about its cost and safety. The injection of fluids into hot rock can cause…
This content was published on
The earthquake in northern Italy on May 20 highlighted yet again the need for all buildings to include anti-seismic measures. The quake destroyed large numbers of historic buildings, which were obviously constructed long before it was known how to protect them, but also several modern facilities, especially industrial buildings. In Switzerland, around 90 per…
This content was published on
With a magnitude of 6.5 to 7.0 on the Richter scale, the most devastating earthquake recorded in central Europe occurred in Basel in 1356. The Swiss city is still considered at risk because of its fault zone location and dense population. (Photos: akg-images, Reuters, AFP, Wikipedia)
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.