On the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm (Denmark), residents registered numerous tremors on Saturday (13 May). © Wirestock/Imago
On the Danish Baltic Sea island of Bornholm, the ground wobbled on Saturday. The tremors startled many people. An expert classifies what is happening.
Bornholm – Last weekend, mysterious tremors were felt on the Danish Baltic Sea island of Bornholm. The earth shook there on Saturday (13 May). But what was the reason? There is still no clarity about this, but an expert rules out an earthquake in Denmark as the cause.
Baltic Sea island of Bornholm: explosion or earthquake? Expert classifies mysterious tremors
Geophysicist Trine Dahl-Jensen of the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland believes that an explosion in Poland may have triggered the tremors on Bornholm. "We have received nearly 70 reports from people on Bornholm of all kinds of blast waves, deep rumbling and clanging of windows," Dahl-Jensen said. These were perceived between 15 p.m. and 16 p.m.
The ground tremors of unknown origin are quite an extraordinary event, the scientist confirmed: "We have never received so many reports from Bornholm." However, a seismic event has not yet been detected in the affected region. Dahl-Jensen assumes that the perceptions on Bornholm were sound waves. And not an earthquake.
Bornholm: Explosion in Poland, according to expert, possible cause of tremors on Danish Baltic Sea island
However, the reports from Bornholm coincide with an explosion in northern Poland, as the expert further explained. This had occurred on land and had been registered shortly before 15 p.m. by several measuring stations. However, it is not clear whether there is a connection with the perceptions on Bornholm. "Whether sound from an explosion in Poland can spread that far, I don't know," Dahl-Jensen said. She did not want to speculate about other possible causes for the mysterious tremors on Bornholm – such as supersonic aircraft.
In principle, detonations in Denmark and neighboring countries are nothing out of the ordinary, the scientist emphasized. "We are seeing explosions every day in our neighbouring countries." These could, for example, occur in mining. Meanwhile, the shock in Poland was not particularly strong.
The police on Bornholm had announced on Saturday that they had received several reports of earthquake-like tremors - especially in the east of the island. A spokesman could not give further details on Sunday at the request of dpa. The investigation into the event is currently ongoing. Meanwhile, it is not the first case that causes unrest among the islanders. In 2022, there was already a blackout on the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm. (kh/dpa)