The Swabian Alb was shaken by a powerful earthquake on Saturday.

The quake had a magnitude of 4.1, its epicenter was near the city of Hechingen in the Zollernalb district, as announced by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Interior in Stuttgart.

The tremors were felt within a radius of around 50 kilometers.

The State Office for Geology classified the earthquake as "moderately strong";

slight damage cannot be ruled out.

It was initially unclear whether the quake, which occurred at 1:47 p.m., actually caused damage.

The region around the epicenter is comparatively sparsely populated.

The Swabian Alb is a tectonically restless zone, the earth keeps shaking here.

In September 1978 there was a strong quake in the region, leaving severe damage to buildings and infrastructure.

This quake measured 5.7 on the Richter scale.