Have you felt an earthquake? Then let GEUS know!

Published 20-10-2026
News

The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) is launching a new way to report your experiences of earthquakes and other seismic tremors. It is an online form where you can easily share your experiences with seismologists to aid research.

GEUS' new platform looks like pictured above. It is easy to switch between languages in the top left corner. (GEUS)

They trickle in quietly whenever there’s been an earthquake: the many emails from people in Greenland or Denmark who have felt the tremors. And GEUS’ seismologists, who are responsible for monitoring and recording earthquakes and other seismic activity in Denmark and Greenland on a daily basis, are grateful for them.

“People send descriptions of what they have experienced, and this is an important supplement to our seismometer readings,” explains Trine Dahl-Jensen, who is a seismologist at GEUS.

A new platform, where people can fill in a digital form, will now make it easier for them to share their experiences, whilst it also standardises the format of the data. This makes it even easier for seismologists to use the reports in their research.

Did you wake up?

On the new reporting platform, you are asked, amongst other things, to tick the boxes corresponding to what you experienced, based on a series of very specific examples: Did you wake up because of the tremors? Did anything fall over? These examples haven’t been plucked out of thin air. They are taken from a scale known as the Mercalli Intensity Scale. The scale links experiences of tremors to the intensity of an earthquake.

“By using a widely applied and recognised scale, we can compare data across reports, across events and across national borders. This gives us a better basis for using the reports in our research into seismic tremors and how they are experienced,” explains Trine Dahl-Jensen.

For years, experts have been researching the relationship between how an earthquake is experienced, its location – both geographically and in terms of depth – and its intensity. The new platform therefore builds on a long tradition of incorporating reports from members of the public.

Language options ensure wide accessibility

The reporting portal is available in Greenlandic, Danish and English. The seismologists hope this will enable everyone – both local residents and visitors to an area – to report their experiences. Furthermore, the platform is optimised for use on mobile phones and can be easily accessed via a link or QR code.
Christian Brogaard Pedersen is a specialist consultant at the Geological Data Centre and Research IT department at GEUS and has developed the reporting platform in collaboration with the seismologists. He explains that although the solution may appear simple from the outside, achieving this goal has required a lengthy process and close collaboration across disciplines.

“Developing a reporting platform that can be used by the intended target groups and actually yields usable data for researchers requires us to take the necessary time to develop and test the platform together. I think we’ve managed that quite well,” says Christian Brogaard Pedersen.

Work on the platform is not yet complete. It will now be put to the test in the real world, and when the next earthquake happens, the team behind the platform will assess whether any adjustments are needed.

Report an earthquake to GEUS

The reporting platform can be found here.

Trine Dahl-Jensen
Senior Researcher
Geophysics and Sedimentary Basins
Phone+45 91333919
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