Wetherlam, epicentre of the quake

Wetherlam, epicentre of the quake

A minor earthquake shook residents of Cumbria last night.

The tremor, with a local magnitude of 3.5, occurred at 10.59pm on Tuesday and was felt throughout the area.

The quake, which was 14.3km deep, was centred on Hen Crag, Wetherlam, 2km from Coniston, above the Coppermines Valley.

The seismic activity was picked up by the instruments of the British Geological Survey in Keswick and Eskdale. A spokesperson for the BGS said it was the largest earthquake in the area since one with a magnitude of 3.7 in Ulverston in April last year.

“Historically, the largest earthquake in recent years to have occurred nearby was the magnitude 4.7ML Carlisle event that occurred on 26 December 1979 and was felt throughout Scotland and northern England with a maximum intensity of 6 EMS [European Macroseismic Scale],” the spokesperson said.

Dr Brian Baptie, head of seismology at the British Geological Survey said: “We get an earthquake of this size somewhere in the UK roughly every 12 to 18 months. Damage is very unlikely.

“An earthquake of this size and depth might be felt up to 80-100 km away. The earthquake has probably made windows and doors rattle and small objects might have been displaced.”

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