Volcanoes of Germany (6)

Go to: Eruptions FAQ Quakes News

Germany isn´t well know as a country with one of the youngest volcanic areas in middle Europe. In the Eifel region there are hundreds of former eruption centers with lava domes, calderas and cinder cones. There are the famouns Maare in western Eifel and probably one of the youngest and still dormant volcanoes: The caldera of Laacher See eruption 13000 years ago. There are still active mofetta at the adge of the lake that show that there is till an active magma chamber bewlow the Laacher See lake crater and a much bigger at below the Eifel region (see "Eifek Magma plume").

[hide/show quakes] | [smaller] [bigger]

Latest earthquakes: Germany

In the past 7 days, the area near Germany volcano has had 6 quakes of magnitude 2.0 or above. There were also 32 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don't normally feel.

A magnitude 2.7 quake was felt in Hesse, Germany .

Magnitude 2.7 Earthquake Hesse, Germany widely felt -

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Nearest Volcano / Location
Oct 28, 04:40 pm (Zurich)	2.0 12 km	383 km (238 mi) SW of Cheb Basin volcanic area	Switzerland: Wildhaus SG	Info
Oct 28, 11:02 am (Berlin)	2.1 7.5 km	277 km (172 mi) S of Laacher See	France-Germany Border Region	Info
Sunday, October 26, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
Oct 26, 10:31 am (Berlin)	2.2 10 km	24 km (15 mi) SW of Laacher See	Germany	Info
Friday, October 24, 2025 GMT (2 quakes)
Oct 24, 04:20 pm (Berlin)	2.7 10 km	68 km (42 mi) SE of Laacher See	10.8 km west of Wiesbaden, Regierungsbezirk Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany I FELT IT - 121 reports	Info
Oct 24, 09:30 am (Berlin)	2.0 0 km	254 km (158 mi) S of Laacher See	13 km northeast of Waldkirch, Freiburg Region, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany	Info
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 GMT (1 quake)
Oct 22, 02:00 pm (Paris)	2.1 0.3 km	327 km (203 mi) S of Laacher See	France-Germany Border Region	Info

See Recent Quakes

Significant Earthquakes in Germany since 1900

This was the 7th worst quake in Germany during recorded history. An unknown number houses and other buildings were destroyed and an unknown number damaged.

Date	Mag	Region	Damage
2014 May 17	3.6	Hesse	light	Info
2004 Dec 5	4.8	Emmendingen, Freiburg Im Breisgau	light	Info
2003 Mar 22	4.7	Albstadt	light	Info
2002 Jul 22	4.8	Aachen, Cologne, Spangdahlem	light	Info
1978 Sep 3	5.3	Germany	very heavy	Info

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K

All Quakes in History

Map

Oldest quakes (until 1960) are shown in yellow, most recent (from 2000) in red.

[quakes -] [quakes +] [smaller] [bigger]

Significant Earthquakes in Germany FAQ

+Which was the earthquake that caused most damage in Germany since 1900?

The earthquake that caused most damage was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake in Germany, Baden-Wurttemberg on Sep, 3, 1978. It caused no known fatalities and estimated $150 million US Dollars (today's equivalent) in total economic damage.

+How much damage did earthquakes cause in Germany since 1900?

There were 5 damaging or deadly quakes during this period that caused economic losses of approx. $154.36 million US Dollars combined.

Try our free app!

Android | iOS version

Guaranteed tours

3-19 Nov 2025: Volcanoes and Spices - Sulawesi/Halmahera (Indonesia)

3-19 Nov 2025: From Krakatau to Bali - Java (Indonesia)

20 Nov - 3 Dec 2025: Desert, salt and volcanoes - Danakil desert (Ethiopia)

2-10 May 2026: From Stromboli to Etna - Sicily and Eolian Islands (Italy)

= spaces available = guaranteed = few spaces left = booked out

More on VolcanoDiscovery

Bardarbunga update

Current activity of Bardarbunga volcano, Iceland
An intense seismic crisis started at Bárdarbunga volcano on 16 August 2014 and is continuing at the time of writing (23 Aug). It may or may not lead to a volcanic eruption, possibly under the Vatnajökull ice cap.
Follow updates as news come in!

Short tours

1-3 day excursions
If you're interested in volcanoes, there are a number of excursions you should not miss if you're in the area: hike to the craters of Stromboli volcano, climb Etna volcano, get to know the unique volcanic history of Santorini - some examples of shorter (1-3 days) tours and excursions we offer.

Igneous rocks

Igneous or magmatic rocks
The most primitive rock type forms when magma (molten rock) solidifies - either inside the earth (plutonic rocks) or during volcanic eruptions (volcanic rocks). A short overview.

Quake-O-Meter

Check if seismic activity worldwide or in a specific area has increased or decreased!

Geology dictionary

Glossary of geologic terms
A growing list of often illustrated explanations and definitions of geological terms and keywords, with focus on volcanology and seismology.

Support Us – Help Us Enhance Our Services!

We’re passionate about delivering the latest volcano and earthquake data from around the globe — just for you. However, maintaining our website and free apps requires significant time, effort, and resources.
Your support helps us expand our hardware and software capabilities and empowers our dedicated editorial team. Our mission is to provide uninterrupted, real-time updates whenever an earthquake strikes or a volcano erupts — and your donations make this possible. Every contribution, big or small, is deeply appreciated. If you find our information valuable and want to help us add new features, create compelling content, and improve our technology, please consider making a donation: