The tremors at 2:59 a.m. were strongly felt in the area of the epicenter one kilometer northeast of the town of Semmering and were the strongest in the region in recent years. By the mid-morning hours, Geosphere Austria (Austrian Seismological Service) had received almost 3,000 reports, with minor damage reported in 130 cases.
A spokeswoman emphasized in response to an APA request that “nothing major” had been mentioned in the damage reports so far. In a broadcast, Geosphere Austria cited cracks in the plaster or detached plaster parts from walls. The source of the quake was “relatively shallow” at five kilometers. The magnitude was initially given as 4.4 on Thursday, but was increased to 4.5 in the morning.
Furniture moved
The tremors were strongly felt around the epicenter at Semmering. “Many people were frightened, some fled outside,” the earthquake service reported. Small objects fell over, books fell off shelves, furniture moved. “The tremors were also felt in the federal states of Styria, Burgenland and Vienna as well as in Upper Austria as far as Wels.”
There were no fire brigade operations as a result of the earthquake, said Neunkirchen district commander Josef Huber. However, the tremors were felt intensely for a short time in the affected region. “Boxes shook, glasses clinked,” said Huber. He himself lives around 30 kilometers from the epicenter, but still “heard a lot” of the “Rumpler”.
40 earthquakes in three years
The Neunkirchen district has been the scene of repeated earthquakes in the recent past, with more than 40 recorded within three years. On March 30, 2023, a magnitude of 4.2 caused numerous minor damages in the Gloggnitz area. Exactly two years earlier, on March 30, 2021, there was a powerful earthquake near Neunkirchen. The magnitude was ultimately given as 4.6.
According to Geosphere Austria, the strongest earthquake in the Semmering region was on October 27, 1964 with a magnitude of 5.3. Due to the relatively large depth of the hearth of around 15 kilometers, there was no major damage to buildings at that time. The tremors almost 60 years ago were also felt strongly in Vienna, and a performance in the Burgtheater was even interrupted.
