UK

Small earthquake detected on county border

BBC
8 hours ago

The quake was centred around Newport in Shropshire

A small earthquake was recorded by the British Geological Survey near the border of Shropshire and Staffordshire.

It happened at 17:43 BST on Wednesday, had a magnitude of 1.5 on the Richter scale, and was centred around Newport.

The British Geological Survey has said small earthquakes of 1.5 or less are relatively common in the UK, with up to 300 being recorded every year.

Only a small number of larger earthquakes cause damage.

'Petrified' Britons wake up to 2.5 earthquake that struck just before 2am with tremors felt in Derbyshire and Leicestershire

By RYAN PROSSER
 19 April 2024

A 2.5 magnitude earthquake hit parts of the Midlands which shook the ground in the early hours of the morning.

Residents in Derbyshire and Leicestershire were woken at 1.42am by the tremor, which seismologists say had a focal depth of 7km.

People in Matlock, Derby as well as Belton in Leicestershire reported being 'petrified' and how the sudden quake alarmed their pets.

David Galloway, a British Geological Survey seismologist, said that the organisation had received reports of a 'weak trembling' and 'moderate rumbling sound'.

The tremor is the largest detected in the 50km area since a similar earthquake with also a 2.5 magnitude hit Buxton in Derbyshire on January 2 this year.


Residents in Derbyshire and Leicestershire were woken by a 2.5 ML earthquake at 1.42am this morning. Pictured: Matlock in Derbyshire was among towns affected (file photo)


The tremor's epicentre was in Belper, just west of the village of Weston Underwood


Pictured: An aerial image oft the exact location where the earthquake struck. The BGS said it had received reports of 'weak trembling' and a 'moderate rumbling sound'Data from BGS showed that the quake's epicentre was just west of the village of Belper, near Weston Underwood.

A spokesperson for BGS said: 'We (BGS) received a few reports, via online macroseismic questionnaires, of the earthquake being felt in Matlock and Derby (Derbyshire) and in Belton (Leicestershire). The reports described “felt a weak trembling” and “heard a moderate rumbling sound'.

'This is the largest event detected in the area, within 50 km, since a similar magnitude 2.5 ML earthquake occurred near Buxton, Derbyshire on 2 January 2024, which was felt in Buxton, Dove Holes and King Sterndale.'

An earthquake with a magnitude of 1.8 ML more recently hit 5km west of Matlock on 7 March 2024.

But the most powerful tremor to strike Derbyshire was over 60-years-ago and was felt all over the Midlands.

The spokesperson added: 'Historically, larger earthquakes have been known to occur in the area, the largest being the magnitude 5.3 ML Derby earthquake which occurred on 11 February 1957 and caused widespread damage to chimneys and roofs in the Derby, Nottingham and Loughborough areas and was felt over the whole of the English Midlands.''Petrified' Britons wake up to 2.5 earthquake that struck just before 2am with tremors felt in Derbyshire and Leicestershire