A strong shock was felt in Katowice and its vicinity. At night, when many of the residents were already asleep or going to bed, houses suddenly shook. The shock had a power of 2.6 on the Richter scale. The collapse took place on Friday, December 11, around 21.45 in the Murcki-Staszic mine. – The most important thing is that there are no effects downstairs and no one was hurt – says Tomasz Głogowski, PGG spokesman. The shock was so strong that in one of the houses in Ochojec, the walls cracked.
Shock at the mine in Katowice
Friday night December 11, around At 21.45 the inhabitants of Katowice and the surrounding area felt a strong shock. The European Sejmological Center recorded a power of 2.6 on the Richter scale.
– Our phone has been cut off for several minutes. People are calling from Katowice: Ochojca, Giszowiec, Piotrowice; and Chorzów – we hear at the Higher Mining Office.
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Also read
Readers of Dziennik Zachodni also report that the collapse was felt in Osiedle Tysiąclecia, in Łaziska, Świętochłowice, Sosnowiec, and even in Radzionków. It was very extensive.
SEE THE MAPS OF THE EUROPEAN SEISMOLOGY CENTER WITH THE SHOCK
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The seismological observatory in Ojców experienced a very strong shock at that time.
The rock collapse took place in the KWK Murcki-Staszic coal mine, which was confirmed by Polska Grupa Górnicza.
– The most important thing is that there are no effects downstairs and no one was hurt – says Tomasz Głogowski, PGG spokesman.
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This is the record of the seismograph from the seismic observatory in Ojców, which shows the moments of the quake
Walls cracked in one of the houses in Katowice
The shock was so strong that in one of the houses at ul. Wilcza in Katowice-Ochojec walls cracked.
– We received a notification from one of the residents of a single-family building at ul. Wilcza. The man reported that tiles had fallen off and walls cracked as a result of the shock. Four teams of the State Fire Service intervene on the spot. We determine the seriousness of the damage – informs Captain Adam Kryla from PSP Katowice.
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Internet users comment on Facebook:
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- Marta: When I am alive, I did not feel such a strong tumble, the whole house was rocking.
- Maggie: Murcki – I fell in a lying position. That was awful.
- Julita: At Nas in Dębiu, all my works of art are also hanging upside down.
- Karolina: Tauzen swung hard and long.
- Otwin: Szokkkk, my windows were shaking.
- Marzena: At Brynów, I was shocked that it was so long and hard.
- Paweł: Piotrowice – two waves in succession – it hasn’t been rocking for a long time … Check the condition of the installation – water, gas …
- Bogumiła: Podlesie – the first time so hard.
- Magdalena: Mega hard. Probably the strongest I’ve ever felt. I was scared that the hut would collapse.
- Joanna: Yeah, Ligota hard to the max, and I live on the first floor. Sharply!
- Ola: The glasses rang in the center.
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Don’t overlook it
The strongest tremors in the last 20 years in Silesia
- 1992 (Czeczot mine): seismic energy E = 2×10 9 J (Joula)
- 1993 (Miechowice mine): seismic energy E = 2×10 9 J
- 1993 (Halemba mine): seismic energy E = 1×10 9 J
- 2007 (Bobrek mine): seismic energy E = 1×10 9 J
- 2010 (Piast mine): seismic energy E = 3×10 9 J
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On the Richter scale, the magnitude of these tremors ranged from 3.8 to 4.0.
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You have to know it
In Poland, tremors induced by mining operations occur in the coal mining area in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, in the LGOM area where copper deposits are exploited, and in the Bełchatów area where lignite is mined open-pit.
The strongest shocks are related to the equalization of stresses in the ground related to the summation of the effects of mining operations with natural stresses related mainly to the occurrence of tectonic faults. In GZW, strong tremors have been registered for over 50 years by the Upper Silesian Regional Seismological Network and are cataloged at the Central Mining Institute.
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