The British Geological Survey recorded
a Magnitude 1.3 Earthquake at a depth of about 3 km about 2 km to the west of the village of Spean Bridge in the Highland Region of Scotland, sat about 5.15 am GMT on Saturday 26 December 2015. This was not a major event, and presented no
threat to human life or property, but may have been felt locally.
The approximate location of the 26 December 2015 Spean Bridge Earthquake. Google Maps.
Earthquakes
become more common as you travel north and west in Great Britain, with
the west coast of Scotland being the most quake-prone part of the island
and the northwest of Wales being more prone to quakes than the rest of
Wales or most of England.
The
precise cause of Earthquakes in the UK can be hard to determine; the
country is not close to any obvious single cause of such activity such
as a plate margin, but is subject to tectonic pressures from several
different sources, with most quakes probably being the result of the
interplay between these forces.
Britain
is being pushed to the east by the expansion of the Atlantic Ocean and
to the north by the impact of Africa into Europe from the south. It is
also affected by lesser areas of tectonic spreading beneath the North
Sea, Rhine Valley and Bay of Biscay. Finally the country is subject to
glacial rebound; until about 10 000 years ago much of the north of the
country was covered by a thick layer of glacial ice (this is believed to
have been thickest on the west coast of Scotland), pushing the rocks of
the British lithosphere down into the underlying mantle. This ice is
now gone, and the rocks are springing (slowly) back into their original
position, causing the occasional Earthquake in the process.
(Top) Simplified diagram showing principle of glacial rebound. Wikipedia.
(Bottom) Map showing the rate of glacial rebound in various parts of
the UK. Note that some parts of England and Wales show negative values,
these areas are being pushed down slightly by uplift in Scotland, as the
entire landmass is quite rigid and acts a bit like a see-saw. Climate North East.
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. If you felt this quake, or were in
the area but did not (which is also useful information) then you can
report it to the British Geological Survey here.
See also...
Magnitude 1.3 Earthquake near Glencoe, Scotland. The British Geological Survey recorded
a Magnitude 1.3 Earthquake at a depth of about 10 km about 5 km to the
west of Glencoe in the district of Lochaber in...
Magnitude 2.2 Earthquake to the south of Loch Shiel, Scotland. The British Geological Survey recorded
a Magnitude 2.2 Earthquake at a depth of about 11 km to the south...
Earthquakes on either side of Loch Carron, Scotland. The British Geological Survey recorded
a Magnitude 1.3 Earthquake at a depth of about 3 km to the north of...
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