UK hit by 1.3 magnitude earthquake as British Geological Survey records tremors in County Durham

An EARTHQUAKE has been recorded in County Durham as Storm Ciaran sweeps across the country

The 1.3 magnitude quake was recorded at 1am today by the British Geological Survey.

The quake hit a small village called Quaking Houses near to the town of Stanley in County Durham.

There are roughly 200-300 quakes in Britain every year, but the vast majority are so small that no one notices them.

However between 20-30 are over 2.0 magnitude which can be felt over a wider area.

Earthquakes in Scotland are most often attributed to glacial rebound.

Until about 10,500 years ago much of the north of the UK was covered by a thick layer of ice – which pushed the rocks down into the underlying mantle.

These rocks have been slowly rising back up ever since the ice melted, causing occasional earthquakes in the process.

The UK is also subject to tectonic stresses caused by the expansion of the Atlantic Ocean, which is slowly pushing the entire of Eurasia to the east, and from the northward motion of Africa, which is pushing into Europe from the south

The most damaging UK earthquake was in the Colchester area in 1884. Some 1200 buildings needed repairs, chimneys collapsed and walls were cracked.