50 years ago: Göttingen shakes by mysterious earthquake!
50 years ago: Göttingen shakes by mysterious earthquake!
Göttingen, Deutschland - On June 23, 2025, we look back on an event that stirred up the minds of the Göttingen population exactly 50 years ago. On June 23, 1975, at 2:17:50 p.m., the earth in the university town of Göttingen shook with a strength of 5.2 on the Richter scale. In a region that is not known for seismic activities, this earthquake created an excited mood. The reason? The cause was in the GDR.
At that time, moving and leaking seismographs were experienced in Göttingen in the Institute for Geophysics. And while there were no damage in Göttingen, the picture in the vicinity was a completely different. In Sünna, a small town near the epicenter, there was a panic atmosphere. Pots tipped over, furniture moved and some buildings were damaged. The reports of contemporary witnesses describe tearful scenes and serious damage, including at the village church. Officially, the GDR leadership spoke of a "mountain strike" and "earthquake-like vibrations", but there was suspicion: the neighboring Kali mine underbreizbach could be responsible for the quake.The Kali mine in Unterbreizbach
The Kali mine underbreizbach has a long history, but also dark chapters. Today it is the only remaining potash mine in the Thuringian part of the Werra Fulda Kalirevier. Finally, the mine was the focus of a tragic gas outbreak. On Tuesday afternoon, shortly after 1 p.m., this incident occurred in shaft II, with a dangerous mixture of salt dust, rock flour and carbon dioxide quickly filled the cavities of the mine. Tragically, the incident cost three miners, aged 24, 50 and 56, life.
The CEO of K+S, Norbert Steiner, was shocked by the catastrophe. Although minor gas outbreaks have not been unusual in the past, they always warned for caution. Brushing in the mine does not simply take place, but only between the layers if the workforce is not in the shaft. The geology of the area, shaped by former volcanic activities, harbors its own risks, since carbon dioxide can be stored in cavities and is a risk of suffocation.
earthquake in Germany
In Germany, around 4,600 earthquakes occur annually, but mostly these are small. The latest statistics show that a quake of strength 0.2 has been registered in the last 24 hours and a total of 27 quakes up to strength 2.1.
in the last seven daysSeismic activity in Germany remains relatively low on average. When we look back on the past 55 years, earthquakes with a thickness of 5 or more only occur about every five to ten years. In 2025 the regions of Saxony and Bavaria were particularly active, with Chemnitz and Gera as cities that recorded most of the earthquake.
In retrospect, the earthquake from 1975 in Göttingen and the tragic history of the Kali mine Unterbreizbach remains an urgent memorial for the risks that are hidden under our feet. The memory of these events raises awareness of the forces of nature and the responsibility that we owe people in these often dangerous professions. For everyone who lives and work in the region, the message is clear: there is a lot to consider, because there is something - underground and in the air.| Details | |
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| Ort | Göttingen, Deutschland |
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