News
The article is more than 8 years old

Undersea earthquake felt in Finland, Sweden

An unusually strong undersea earthquake which measured 4.1 on the Richter scale rattled the northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia at around midnight Saturday.

Jäätynyt Perämeri Oulun Kiviniemessä 27122015.
Ice on the Bay of Bothnia. File photo. Image: Risto Degerman / Yle

According to the University of Helsinki's Institute of Seismology, Saturday's relatively strong 4.1 temblor beneath the northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia lasted about ten seconds. The epicentre of the quake was located about 45 kilometres off the coast of the town of Raahe.

The tremors prompted people in both Finland and Sweden to report they had felt the vibrations via social media.

Reports of people in Finland feeling the earthquake came from Oulu, Kemi, Jakobstad and Vaasa.

Fire chief Marko Hottinen told Yle that there were no reports of damage and emergency services were not required in Finland.

Reports from people in Sweden who said they felt the quake came from the northern coastal towns of Umeå up to Piteå.