List of earthquakes in Poland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Earthquakes in Poland are a rare phenomenon. Most often they are caused by rock bursts in coal or copper mines. Natural ones appear in the Carpathian Mountains, Sudetes, or in the Trans-European Suture Zone. Sometimes events from other countries are felt in Poland.
Natural Earthquakes
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage/notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 June 1443 | Sudetes? | 6 (est.) | According to the records in the Jan Długosz chronicle, the earthquake damaged buildings in Kraków and Wrocław killed 30 people. It was the strongest earthquake in the history of Poland.[1] Other research localised the epicenter to Slovakia.[2] |
| 9 July 1662 | Tatra Mountains | < 6 (est.) | |
| 26 January 1774 | near Racibórz | 5 (est.) | |
| 25 August 1785 | Wisła | 5 (est.) | |
| 3 December 1786 | Tresna | 5.4 (est.) | Damaged buildings in Kraków[3] |
| 1875 | Hrubieszów | 3.7 | [4] |
| 4 February – 8 March 1932 | Płock, Łuków, Kock, Lublin, Bogoria, Jędrzejowo, Małogoszcz | 4.0–4.5 | Unusual earthquake swarm on the line of the Trans-European Suture Zone; series of small, shallow quakes, causing cracks in buildings and frozen ground. Cracks in the ground were 2 kilometers long and 1-2 centimeters wide.[5] |
| 20 November 2004 | Czarny Dunajec | 4.7 | Damage to buildings including schools and a church[6] |
| 6 January 2012 | Żerków | 3.8 | Small cracks in buildings; unusual quake in aseismic area[7] |
| 10 December 2017 | Wodzisław Śląski, Prudnik, Bielsko-Biała | 3.4 | [8][9] |
| 6 July 2020 | Polkowice | 4.9 | No structural damage; one of the strongest, instrumental-registered quakes in Poland[10] |
Mining-induced earthquakes
Between 2015 and 2019, in Polish mines, 23 strong earthquakes occurred, killing 24 miners and damaging buildings on the surface.[11]
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage/notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 November 1980 | Bełchatów Coal Mine | 4.7 | Cracks in the ground; damaged chimney[12] |
| 20 July 1987 | Lubin, Copper Mine | 4.8-4.9 | Four miners killed,[13][14] |
| 13 January 2005 | KWK Rydułtowy-Anna, Rydułtowy | 3.5 | [15] |
| 10 March 2013 | KGHM O/ZG Rudna, Polkowice | 4.6 | 19 miners rescued from collapsed part of mine[16] |
| 29 November 2016 | KGHM O/ZG Rudna, Polkowice | 4.4 | 8 miners killed[17] |
| 23 April 2022 | KGHM O/ZG Zofiówka | 2.7 | 10 miners killed, 20 others injured[18][19] |
| 22 August 2023 | Bobrek Coal Mine | 3.8 | damaged chimney and car in Bytom,[20] |
| 5 October 2023 | Staszic Coal Mine, Katowice | 3.2 | [21] |
| 20 September 2024 | Polkowice | 3.6 | No significant damage or casualties have been reported, as the tremor was moderate in intensity[22] |
| 27 February 2025 | Polkowice | 4.7 | Multiple people reported V MMI intensity and people further from the epicenter reported I MMI[23] |