Description:

Tweet

 

29 September - An earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter Scale struck the Ile d’Oleron yesterday afternoon, following on from a smaller tremor back in July.

 

Whilst the quake made buildings tremble, no real damage was caused, save for a few cracks being further widened.  A tremor measuring 2.2 on the Richter Scale hit the island on 22 July this year, and seismic events like this are not unknown in the Charente Maritime area.  The biggest recorded earthquake on the island of Oleron occurred back in September 1972, measuring 5.7 on the Richter Scale, and causing significant damage to property.

 

Little is known about the fault at the heart of the tremors, although many people believe it is located beneath the Charente Estuary.  Experts believe that a major earthquake is unlikely to happen here, although the lack of knowledge about this fault means it cannot be ruled out completely.

 

 

Like this story? Why not use our RSS feed and receive updates as soon as they are posted? Or join us as a member and receive a monthly newsletter.

 

Check out Guide2PoitouCharentes for Property in Poitou Charentes, Events, News, Classifieds, Places to Stay, Poitou Charentes Attractions and Poitou Charente Businesses