UK earthquakes 2022 – where has been hit?
A 3.2 magnitude earthquake left Birmingham residents startled in February 2022.
This is only one of 25 earthquakes already detected in the UK in 2022 – here’s where they hit.
What earthquakes have hit the UK in 2022?
As of February 2022, there have been 25 earthquakes detected in the UK, according to data from the British Geological Survey.
Their magnitude ranges between 0.3 and 3.6, with the strongest one recorded in the North Sea, 240km east of Aberdeen.
The first one for 2022 was detected in Lincolnshire, just two days after New Year’s Day.
With a magnitude of just 1.1, the quake was not registered by residents.
Earthquakes with a magnitude below 2.5 often go unnoticed by the general public.
However, if the magnitude reaches beyond 3, a terrifying shake can be felt.
How strong is the Birmingham earthquake?
Birmingham was shaken by a 3.2 magnitude earthquake late on February 21, 2022.
Startled residents reported the phenomenon on social media around 11pm.
The quake’s epicentre was about three miles northwest of Birmingham, according to the US Geological Survey.
Residents in Wolverhampton, Dudley and Wednesbury also reported feeling the tremor on social media.
One said: “Earthquake in the West Midlands. Felt in Walsall, Birmingham, Dudley and Wolverhampton.
It has been a crazy week with this as well as 3 storms – very strong winds on Friday and rain like I have never seen before yesterday.”
Another added: “The West Midlands was shaking – literally – just before 11pm. Yep. EARTHQUAKE.
“Birmingham actually just told Storm Franklin to hold its beer.”
How many earthquakes have there been in the UK?
Most of the UK’s earthquakes are small and hardly felt.
Each year, Brits feel between 20 to 30 earthquakes, with hundreds of smaller ones recorded by sensitive instruments.
The UK experiences a magnitude 5 – which can damage buildings – roughly every 10–20 years.
Their power is measured using the “momentum magnitude scale” – and a “strong quake” is normally registered as 6 and above.
In 2007 and earthquake in Kent registered as 4.3, with Folkestone the worst hit area.
In 2008, a 5.2 quake shook Market Rasen in Yorkshire, with tremors felt across the UK and as far as Netherlands, Belgium and France.
Structural damage was recorded in some areas, including one case where a chimney collapsed and injured a person in Wombwell, Barnsley.
In 2015, a quake measuring 4.2 hit Sandwich in Kent, with shockwaves felt as far away as Norwich 1oo miles away.
A 4.4 magnitude earthquake near Swansea, Wales, caused one cottage to collapse completely in February 2018.
Tremors were felt as far away as London, Cornwall and Liverpool as millions of terrified people experienced their homes and ground shaking.
In June 2018, a 3.9 quake rocked Eastern England and in July, 3.3 was felt in Surrey with Twitter users mocking the damage done.
Surrey was hit again with 2.4 quake in February, followed by another in May 2019.
West Cornwall had its own quake on August 9, 2019, when residents felt their homes shaking and heard a loud boom “like a plane crash”.
Stockton-on-Tees suffered an earthquake in the early hours of 23rd January 2020; people were awoken from their slumber at the 2.8 magnitude tremor.
In November 2021, Scotland was woken by shaking homes, as a terrifying 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit the country.
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.
A 5.1 magnitude quake struck Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire, in 1990, causing some damage.
And a 4.7 magnitude tremor in Dudley, West Midlands, in 2002 was felt over much of England and Wales.