A small earthquake has been recorded in North Yorkshire less than a fortnight after a 3.5 magnitude quake hit Cumbria. The UK Geological Survey says the 3.7 magnitude earth tremor was centred west of Ripon in North Yorkshire and took place at 9.03PM (GMT). Reports suggest the tremor was also felt in parts of Cumbria, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.
Northern England is situated on a fault zone known as the Craven Fault. The Craven Fault is a series of geological fault lines (including the North Craven Fault, the Mid Craven Fault, and the South Craven Fault) which run along the southern and western edges of the Yorkshire Dales, formed at the underlying boundary of the Askrigg Block.
US Geological Survey report on tonight's quake HERE
An earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale was recorded in Cumbria and Lancashire on 21 December. People described hearing and feeling the earth moving "for well over a minute" at just after 11pm.
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| Cumbria and Yorkshire |
An earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale was recorded in Cumbria and Lancashire on 21 December. People described hearing and feeling the earth moving "for well over a minute" at just after 11pm.
Earthquakes are quite common in Ireland and the UK but most go unnoticed. The most significant earthquake to affect Ireland took place in May 2010 when a magnitude 2.7 tremor hit Lisdoonvarna in County Clare. The quake, intensity level 3, is the most severe quake to hit the Republic of Ireland in recent years. It also was the first tremor or earthquake to be recorded in the west of Ireland in modern times.
The only other recorded earthquake to hit the country in 2010 occurred on January 9th when a tremor measuring 1.6 on the Richter scale struck the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal.
An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale, the largest ever recorded in Ireland, hit Dublin in 1984. Aftershocks from the quake measured up to 4 on the Richter scale.
For more on UK and Ireland earthquakes visit our seismic monitor page.
