Earthquake shakes central Spain

13 August 2007

MADRID – Geologists plan to study the seismic activity leading up to the earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale which rattled central Spain at the weekend to ascertain whether future tremblers could cause significant damage, press reports said on Monday.

The quake struck Sunday and caused neither injuries nor major damage: However it did cause cracks to appear in walls and dislodged plaster from buildings. Around 10 aftershocks were reported.

The tremor was felt across Spain, RNE state radio said. The epicentre of the quake was close to the town of Pedro Munoz in the province of Ciudad Real, officials said.

Many of the town’s 10,000 residents fled their homes when the quake struck, some still in their nightclothes.

“We can’t remember the last time there was an earthquake this strong here,” said Mayor Angel Exojo.

“The earthquake lasted just a few seconds,” one local resident said. “The furniture was vibrating and things fell from the shelves in the living room onto the floor.”

In Madrid, 200 kilometres north of the epicentre, the tremor was most noticeable on the upper floors of high-rise buildings.

“The bed shook like in a horror film,” said one 16-year-old resident of the Spanish capital.

Earthquake expert Arancha Izquierdo said the tremor was the strongest recorded in Spain in recent times.

“In international terms an earthquake of 5.1 is nothing remarkable,” she said. “Every day such earthquakes take place somewhere around the world.”

Geologists quoted in Monday’s daily newspapers noted that there was a relatively large quake recently in Guadalajara and said that scientists may have to study whether the area is not as seismically stable as believed.

“If it turns out this region is quake prone, new rules and regulations regarding construction may have to be implemented,” one geologist said.

(Copyright DPA with Expatica)

                                       Subject: Spanish News