Strongest earthquake in 10 years hits UK

A small earthquake has been felt in Wales and southern England, which authorities say is the biggest since 2008.

Britain was hit by its biggest earthquake in a decade, the British Geological Survey (BGS) says, with tremors felt across parts of Wales and southwest England but no notable damage reported.

The BGS said Saturday's quake was of magnitude 4.4, with an epicentre 20 km north of the Welsh city of Swansea, adding that it was the biggest quake in the Britain since 2008.

Earthquakes are not common in Britain and are rarely powerful. The 2008 quake in Market Rasen, north-east England, was magnitude 5.2 - 16 times more powerful than Saturday's quake.

However, Saturday's earthquake in Wales was felt as far away as Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight, over 200 km away.

Videos on social media showed people gathered outside Swansea University, which was holding an open day, after an apparent evacuation.

"Thank you to everyone who attended our visit day. We hoped that you had a surprisingly 'earth moving' experience!" Swansea University said on Twitter.


Share
1 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world