Friday 25 December 2015

Magnitude 1.5 Earthquake in Gwynedd, north Wales.

The British Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 1.5 Earthquake at a depth of 7 km, slightly to the north of the settlement of Llanfachreth in Gwynedd, North Wales, slightly before 2.00 am GMT on Thursday 24 December 2015. An Earthquake of this size is not dangerous, and is highly unlikely to have caused any damage or injuries, but is may have been felt locally.
 
 The approximate location of the 24 December 2015 Llanfachreth 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. 
 
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.
 
 
(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. 
 
Seen also...
 
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/magnitude-12-earthquake-on-lleyn.htmlMagnitude 1.2 Earthquake on the Lleyn Peninsula.                                                  The British Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 1.3 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km, on the north coast of the Lleyn Peninsula in Gwynedd, North Wales...
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/magnitude-19-earthquake-in-flintshire.htmlMagnitude 1.9 Earthquake in Flintshire, North Wales.                                                  The British Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 1.9 Earthquake at a depth of 5 km, to the southeast of Prestatyn in Flintshire, North Wales, at about 12.55 pm..
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/magnitude-30-earthquake-off-coast-of.htmlMagnitude 3.0 Earthquake off the coast of Caernarfon, North Wales.                        The British Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 3.0 Earthquake at a depth of 9 km, off the east coast of Caernarfon in Gwynedd, North Wales, slightly after...
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