July 22, 2002 Earthquake: Aachen, Cologne, Spangdahlem, Germany

Name: July 22, 2002 Earthquake: Aachen, Cologne, Spangdahlem, Germany
Start: 2002-07-22
Location: Aachen, Cologne, Spangdahlem, Germany

July 22, 2002 · M4.8

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck Aachen, Cologne, Spangdahlem, Germany on July 22, 2002 at 05:45:03 UTC, 17 km below the surface.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: July 22, 2002
Time: 05:45:03 UTC
Place: Aachen, Cologne, Spangdahlem, Germany
Magnitude: 4.8 (mb)
Focal depth: 17 km (11 mi)
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 50.889° N, 6.103° E
Country: Germany

The toll

Damage: Limited (under about $1 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Minor damage and objects knocked off shelves in the

Aachen-Cologne-Spangdahlem area. Also felt in eastern

Belgium and in the Brunssum-Schimmert area, The

Netherlands. (reference #1053)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 2002 The 2000s Every quake the USGS located in 2002 Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5573.