Earthquake shakes eastern Norway as police briefly investigate bomb theory

A 3.6-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Norway on Sunday morning, rattling buildings across a densely populated region and prompting Oslo police to briefly consider a bomb explosion as a possible cause, Dagbladet reports.

The quake hit at 09:25 local time, with its epicentre on the municipal border between Ullensaker and Nes in Akershus county. Tremors were felt as far west as Notodden, as far north as Moelv in Ringsaker, and as far south as Fredrikstad and Skien, with reports also coming from areas near the Swedish border east of Kongsvinger.

Oslo police activated full emergency response protocols immediately after the shaking began, initially treating the event as a potential explosion or structural collapse. “We didn’t know what it was—it could have been many things,” operations leader Tor Gulbrandsen told Dagbladet. “One hypothesis was that a building had collapsed, or that there had been a bomb or another type of explosion.” Police deployed a helicopter to survey the area before confirming the seismic activity.

Norway’s official seismic monitoring agency, Norsar, initially recorded the quake at magnitude 3.3 before revising it to 3.6. Seismologist Annie Jerkins, manning Norsar’s earthquake hotline, said reactions ranged from curiosity to shock. “Most callers think it’s exciting, while others are taken aback that something like this can happen here,” she said.

No significant damage or dangerous conditions were reported in the affected areas, which include roughly three million residents. The control tower at Oslo Airport, 92 metres above ground, also felt the tremors—unusual even for a structure accustomed to wind-induced swaying.

The earthquake disrupted live broadcasts, including a Dagbladet stream with a US policy expert and an NRK radio programme, where microphones picked up the vibrations. Traffic to Dagbladet’s website surged as readers sought information, with the first push alert about “powerful booms” in eastern Norway sent at 09:28—three minutes before official seismic agencies confirmed the event.