Erdbeben sind in dieser Region nicht ungewöhnlich. Das letzte spürbare Beben im Raum nördlich von Laufenburg wurde am 12. März 2018 mit einer Magnitude von 3.1 in 17 km Tiefe registriert, ebenso eines in Zell (20 km vom heutigen Beben entfernt) am 5. Mai 2009 mit einer Magnitude von 4.2 in 12 km Tiefe.

Es kann mit weiteren  Nachbeben gerechnet werden. Solche Nachbeben treten üblicherweise nach stärkeren Beben auf, wobei die Häufigkeit und die Stärke dieser Ereignisse mit der Zeit abnimmt. Weitere Beben mit einer ähnlichen oder gar grösseren Magnitude wie das Beben um 3:06 Uhr sind zwar unwahrscheinlich, aber nicht auszuschliessen.

Es kann mit Nachbeben gerechnet werden. Solche Nachbeben treten üblicherweise nach stärkeren Beben auf, wobei die Häufigkeit und die Stärke dieser Ereignisse mit der Zeit abnimmt. Weitere Beben mit einer ähnlichen oder gar grösseren Magnitude wie das Beben um 2:34 sind zwar unwahrscheinlich, aber nicht auszuschliessen. Beben mit einer Magnitude von 4 oder mehr treten in der Schweiz im Schnitt alle ein bis zwei Jahre einmal auf. Das letzte Beben mit einer vergleichbaren Stärke (Magnitude 4.4) in dieser Region ereignete sich am 25. Oktober 2020 bei Elm (GL). Das letzte verspürte Beben im Kanton Schwyz ereignete sich am 4. März 2015 östlich der Kantonshauptstadt. Es hatte eine Magnitude von 2.8.

Video recordings document this impressive event, but fortunately, no one was injured. However, the seismic stations also recorded the tremors caused by the landslide, even at distances well over 100 kilometres. In contrast to earthquakes, seismograms of mass movements are comparatively long-lasting and are characterised by a broad distribution of seismic energy. They also lack the clear, impulsive phase arrivals typical of earthquakes. This makes the exact location of a mass movement very uncertain using only the seismic information; it can deviate several kilometres from the true location. However, the origin time of mass movements can be determined to the second.

Only mass movement events that are clearly visible in the seismic data are listed in the newly published SED database. The list of events is therefore incomplete: smaller or slow-moving mass movements or those that occur in areas with poor coverage of the seismic network are not detected. Furthermore, the identification of mass movements is carried out manually, so new events may only be added days after they occur. Some events are externally confirmed and indicated as ‘confirmed’ in the last column of the list. The magnitude is purely indicative and calculated using the scale defined for local Swiss earthquakes. The list of mass movements dates back to 2009 and will continue to be updated.

More information

List of mass movements

Hands-on earthquake research in the classroom 

Since they were installed, the seismometers at cantonal schools and high schools have been continuously recording the earth's movements. That also includes the tremors from local quakes such as the one on 27 February near Saignelégier (canton of Jura) with a magnitude of 3.4. Students can access the data recorded on their own devices as well as over 2,000 Raspberry Shake seismometers installed worldwide in real time via the Raspberry Shake website. The data is presented in an easy-to-understand way, making it easy to pinpoint the epicentre of an earthquake, for example, as part of a lesson. This allows pupils to gain practical insights into the world of earthquake research and deepen their understanding of various seismological concepts.

The Seismo@School programme

The Seismo@School initiative has its origins in a programme launched by the University of Lausanne and HES-SO Valais-Wallis in recent years, in which 22 schools in the cantons of Valais and Vaud are involved. Thanks to a two-year AGORA project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) entitled "Increasing earthquake awareness in Switzerland", the SED has now been able to extend this programme to the whole of Switzerland.

The long-term vision of the project is a Switzerland-wide Seismo@School programme that includes multilingual teaching materials, regular activities for teachers and international partnerships. This initiative is a major step in promoting earthquake preparedness and knowledge among young people, which will ultimately help ensure that society is better able to cope with earthquakes in the future.

Resources for teachers

In the coming months, the Seismo@School team will be developing, and making freely available, school materials covering specific seismology topics: earthquake hazard and risk, induced seismicity, misinformation and media literacy, and earthquake measurement and localisation. From spring semester 2025, geography teachers will also be offered an annual training day on the new teaching materials. There is also a digital learning hub "CoP Geography" on Microsoft Teams, where teachers can network and share helpful materials. Interested teachers can email the Seismo@School project team at: seismo_at_school[at]sed.ethz.ch.

For additional information

Project description
CPPS project web page: www.cpps-vs.ch/seismo-at-school