False seismic alarm: Experts correct magnitude of Czech tremors

A false seismic alarm caused confusion on Thursday when initial reports indicated significant tremors in the Czech Republic, which were later corrected to a much weaker magnitude.

Seismic stations in the Czech Republic registered weak tremors, according to the Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. However, early reports relayed by Reuters from Germany's GFZ center suggested a much stronger earthquake, initially stating a magnitude of 5.5. This initial figure was not confirmed.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre later clarified the magnitude, reporting it as 1.8. The epicenter was located between Pilsen and Pribram at a depth of approximately 9 kilometers. Experts are still assessing the precise location and strength based on detailed measurements.

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If the tremor on Thursday had indeed been 5.5, it would have been 30 times stronger than the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the Czech Republic... Such an earthquake is absolutely unusual in Europe, our territory has not experienced anything like it since the beginning of the Quaternary. Such tremors would be felt in Prague and throughout the Czech Republic.

Director of the Institute of Geophysics, Alesz Szpiczak, explained that a 5.5 magnitude earthquake would have been unprecedented in the Czech Republic, being 30 times stronger than the most powerful quake previously recorded there in December 1985 (magnitude 4.6). Such an event would have been felt across the entire country.

Josef Zens, a spokesperson for Germany's GFZ, responded to inquiries by stating that they could not confirm an earthquake of that magnitude, suggesting a possible error in a measurement station. GFZ experts later manually revised the reported magnitude to 1.8.

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At the moment, we cannot confirm an earthquake of such magnitude. It was a signal assessed automatically. Perhaps there was an error in one of the measuring stations or something else.