A small earthquake rattled the Czech Republic on Thursday, but it turned out to be far less powerful than early reports suggested, according to geophysics agencies and the Czech news agency CTK.
Germany’s Research Centre for Geosciences, known as GFZ, had initially posted on its website that a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck the area around Plzen, a city located 93 kilometers — roughly 60 miles — southwest of Prague. However, the actual magnitude was later determined to be just 1.8.
Seismic monitoring stations within the Czech Republic also detected a weak tremor, though officials said the precise strength and location would need further analysis. CTK cited Ales Spicak, the director of the country’s Institute of Geophysics, in reporting those details.
To put the numbers in perspective, a 4.6 magnitude quake — the strongest ever recorded in the Czech Republic, which occurred in 1985 — is typically felt by people but causes little to no damage. A 5.5 magnitude event, by contrast, can cause structural damage to buildings that are not well constructed.
