This Thursday evening, the seismographs recorded two earthquakes, one with a magnitude of 3.1 and the other of 2.7 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was located in a Bressuire-Thouars-Airvault triangle.
It was therefore 8:22 p.m. when the earth shook for the first time not far from Bressuire (Deux-Sèvres). A second shock was recorded at 0h37. The offices of the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center (CSEM-EMSC) as well as the French Central Seismological Office confirm these observations.
It is very likely that this event did not cause any damage, its force being minimal. Nevertheless many inhabitants testify. Some have heard a big “boom”, while others relate a rumble or even a snap and vibrations.
Three in the house, all unanimous that a train was running. However, in Parthenay there is no train!
Read on the testimonials of the site emsc-csem.org
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Earlier in the day another seismic event was recorded about fifty kilometers from Poitiers. Here, a magnitude of 1.8 MLv was recorded.
The earth trembles regularly in Deux-Sèvres and more widely in the north of Poitou-Charentes and Vendée. On June 21, 2019, the magnitude had reached 4.8 on the Richter scale, still in the Bressuire sector. There are a little more than 1,300 earthquakes each year in France, including around one hundred tremors of magnitude greater than 3 and around twenty magnitude greater than 3.5.
- On April 3, 2021, located west of Poitiers (86), earthquake with an intensity of 3.7
- Earthquake of July 16, 2020, located near Bressuire (79), with an intensity of 3.7
- On March 20, 2019, the earth trembled with a magnitude of 4.9 and an epicenter in Charente-Maritime, near Montendre.
A few earthquakes were deadly in France, such as in Provence in 1909 with a 6.2 tremor which had caused 46 victims.
In mainland France, the majority of earthquakes hit the regions of the Pyrenees mountains, the entire eastern facade and a large area including the north of Poitou-Charentes, Vendée and southern Brittany.
- Micro : less than 1.9 – Micro earthquake, not felt
- Very minor : 2.0 to 2.9 – Usually not felt but detected / recorded.
- Minor : 3.0 to 3.9 – Often felt without causing damage.
- Lightweight : 4.0 to 4.9 – Noticeable shaking of objects inside houses, knocking noises. The damage remains very slight.
- Moderate : 5.0 to 5.9 – Can cause significant damage to poorly designed buildings in confined areas. No damage to well-constructed buildings.
- Fort : 6.0 to 6.9 – Can cause serious damage over several tens of kilometers. Only adapted buildings resist near the center.
- Very strongt : 7.0 to 7.9 – May cause severe damage in large areas; all buildings are affected near the center.
- Major : 8.0 to 8.9 – Can cause very severe damage in areas for hundreds of miles around. Major damage to all buildings, including tens of kilometers from the center.
- Devastating : 9.0 and above – Devastates areas for hundreds of miles around. Damage over 1,000 kilometers around.
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