A shallow earthquake just hit UK, what are they? Which parts of UK are most prone to tremors?
Parts of UK most prone to earthquakes
Earthquake is back in the headlines, and it’s UK which has felt the tremors this time. An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 (as indicated by Google’s Android Earthquake Alerts System) hit the country Friday night and had people shaking from South Wales to the West Midlands. Some said the walls of their homes were shaking, others said it felt like a bomb going off.Others who weren’t sleeping heard a loud bang.
A shallow earthquake hit the UK
First of all, what’s a shallow earthquake? An earthquake whose origin is very close to the earth’s surface is called a shallow earthquake. One that hit UK originated a mere two kilometres down the earth's surface north of Rhondda. They are generally felt stronger by the affected population, than the deeper ones.
What parts of UK are most prone to earthquakes?
Earthquakes are a natural occurrence that can happen anywhere in the world. However, in the British Isles, they are mostly concentrated on the western side of the mainland. Meanwhile, eastern Scotland and northeast England are relatively free of seismic activity. Additionally, Ireland also experiences very few earthquakes.
The North Sea, on the other hand, is relatively more active than the mainland. This may be due to the tectonic plates in the area. The North Sea is situated on the boundary of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, which are slowly moving away from each other. This movement can cause stress to build up and eventually result in earthquakes.
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Strongest earthquakes that UK has ever faced
In 1931, the biggest earthquake ever was recorded in the UK near the Dogger Bank, and had a magnitude of 6.1. This event, luckily, occurred 60 miles offshore, but still caused some minor damages to structures along the east coast of England. The earthquake that caused the most significant harm in the UK was in 1884 around Colchester. This earthquake led to over 1200 buildings requiring repairs, chimneys collapsing, and walls cracking.