The British Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 3.8 Earthquake at a depth of 8 km between the villages of Ashwell and Market Overton in Rutland, England, at about 10.25 pm GMT on Wednesday 28 January 2015. There are no reports of any damage or injuries associated with this event, though it was exceptionally large for an English Earthquake, and people have reported feeling it from as far away as Dudley in the West Midlands and Huddersfield in West Yorkshire.
The approximate location of the 28 January 2015 Rutland Earthquake and locations where people have reported feeling the event. British Geological Survey.
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. However, while quakes in
southern England are less frequent, they are often larger than events in
the north, as tectonic presures tend to build up for longer periods of
time between events, so that when they occur more pressure is released.
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 2.8 Earthquake in southwest Nottinghamshire. The British Geological Survey
recorded a Magnitude 2.8 Earthquake at a depth of 7 km between
Nottingham and Mansfield in southwest Nottinghamhire, England, slightly
after 7.15 pm GMT on Tuesday 28 October 2014. An event of this size is
highly unlikely to have caused any damage or injuries, but people have
reported feeling the event across southwest Nottinghamshire.
Magnitude 1.3 Earthquake in north Nottinghamshire. The British Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 1.3 Earthquake at a depth of 1 km in northern
Nottinghamshire, England, slightly after 9.30 pm British...
The British Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 1.4 Earthquake at a depth of 1 km beneath Sherwood Forest in north...
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