December 8, 2006 Earthquake: Basel, Switzerland
A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck Basel, Switzerland on December 8, 2006 at 16:48:39 UTC, 5 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
- December 8, 2006
- Time
- 16:48:39 UTC
- Place
- Basel, Switzerland
- Magnitude
- 3.9 (ML)
- Focal depth
- 5 km (3 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 47.580° N, 7.600° E
- Country
- Switzerland
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.
Slight damage in the Basel area. Felt at Lorrach, Germany and Saint-Louis, France. This is the largest in a series of events possibly associated with a deep well geothermal experiment. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 18, 1356, Basel, Switzerland
- March 11, 1584, Geneva-Yvoire, Switzerland
- September 18, 1601, Switzerland
- March 11, 1817, Chamonix Valley, France
- July 25, 1855, Haut-Valais, Switzerland
- May 12, 1021, Switzerland
- November 24, 1346, Switzerland
- September 14, 1454, Switzerland
- September 15, 1454, Switzerland
- November 29, 1610, Switzerland
- March 23, 1391, Switzerland
- December 5, 2004, Emmendingen, Freiburg Im Breisgau, Germany
- May 12, 1682, Remiremont,fougerolles,faucogney, France
- 1375, Switzerland
- April 18, 1835, Switzerland
More
Significant earthquakes of 2006The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2006Recent earthquakes near hereThis 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 7421.