UK earthquakes 2020 map – where has been hit?
AN earthquake hit Teesside this morning with many residents mistaking it for an explosion. But how many earthquakes have there been in the UK in 2020? Here’s all you need to know. How strong was today’s Teesside earthquake? The British Geological Survey said the tremor had a magnitude of 3.0 on the Richter scale but […]
AN earthquake hit Teesside this morning with many residents mistaking it for an explosion.
But how many earthquakes have there been in the UK in 2020? Here’s all you need to know.
How strong was today’s Teesside earthquake?
The British Geological Survey said the tremor had a magnitude of 3.0 on the Richter scale but the United States Geological Survey recorded a 2.8 magnitude tremor at a depth of 10km.
Gillian Foster, watch manager at Cleveland Fire Brigade, told Mirror Online: “We turned out to a report of a potential explosion at a bungalow.
“Neighbours were out and felt same thing – some kind of explosion.”
Steve Thompson, from Norton, in Stockton-on-Tees, said: “It was a strong ‘clump’ like a lorry crashing into mine or a neighbour’s house.
How many earthquakes have there been in the UK in 2020?
Despite being just one month into the new year, there has been nine earthquakes recorded in the UK so far in 2020.
Today’s tremor was the largest so far.
The previous biggest tremor in 2020 was a 2.3-magnitude earthquake felt in Arnisdale in the Scottish Highlands on 7 January.
According to the BGS, between 20 to 30 earthquakes are felt by people in the UK each year, with a few hundred smaller ones recorded by sensitive instruments.
Where did earthquakes strike in 2019?
Many of the UK’s earthquakes are so small that they are hardly felt.
The following were the main tremors from last year.
- 5 December – Taunton, Somerset: 3.4
- 26 August – Blackpool, Lancashire: 2.1
- 21 August – Blackpool, Lancashire: 1.6
- 8 August – Falmouth, Cornwall: 2.2
- 27 February – Newdigate, Surrey: 3.0
What is the strongest earthquake to ever hit the UK?
The largest known British earthquake occurred in the North Sea near the Dogger Bank in 1931, with a magnitude of 6.1.
It was 60 miles offshore but still powerful enough to cause minor damage to buildings on the east coast of England.
The most damaging UK earthquake was in the Colchester area in 1884, in which several people were killed and shockwaves were felt as far away as the Houses of Parliament.
Other notable events include the 5.4-magnitude the quake at Lleyn, Wales in 1984.
It was the largest onshore earthquake ever recorded in the UK and had hundreds of aftershocks.
Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, saw a magnitude 5.2 quake in 2008.
It was felt as far away as Aberdeen and Ireland.
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A 5.1 magnitude quake struck Bishop’s Castle, Shrophire, in 1990, causing some damage.
And a 4.7 magnitude tremor in Dudley, West Mids, in 2002 was felt over much of England and Wales.
While hundreds of quakes actually happen here every year, only around 10 are strong enough to be felt at all – and many of these are very minor.
The UK experiences a magnitude 5 – which can damage buildings – roughly every 10–20 years.