A 3.3-magnitude earthquake has struck Lancashire – with dozens of people saying it shook their homes or woke them up.
The British Geological Society (BGS) said it was “felt across the South Lakes and Lancashire, mainly within 20km of the epicentre”, including Kendal and Ulverston in neighbouring Cumbria.
Preliminary data suggests it struck off the coast of Silverdale at 11.23pm, at a depth of 1.86 miles (3km).
Each year, between 200 and 300 earthquakes are detected and located in the UK by the BGS.
Between 20 and 30 earthquakes are felt by people each year, and a few hundred smaller ones are only recorded by sensitive instruments.
Most of these are very small and cause no damage.
People posted their reaction online. Reports included that the earthquake “felt like an explosion and vibration coming from underground”.
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Another comment said it “sounded like bricks falling/the roof falling in”, while another wrote that it was “so powerful to shake the whole house”.
Dozens of messages on X reported the earthquake in the surrounding area.
“Whole place shook twice, here in a lakeside holiday rental in Carnforth,” wrote one.
Another person also from Carnforth, near the epicentre, said: “I’m used to my door slamming as it is hard to shut, but only registered it was an earthquake after someone had told me.”
While the accounts are unverified, some people also commented they had felt shaking as far away as the Fylde Peninsula, specifically Poulton-le-Fylde and Fleetwood, both north of Blackpool.
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According to the BGS, the most recent earthquake to measure over 3.3 was recorded on 20 October near Loch Lyon in Perth and Kinross. The 3.7-magnitude quake was one of a series of tremors registered over a number of days.
Meanwhile, Lancashire has suffered a series of tremors in the past as a result of fracking, including a 2.1-magnitude tremor at Cuadrilla’s site near Blackpool in 2019, prompting a fracking ban in England.
But not all tremors are naturally occurring, including Liverpool fans’ reaction to a goal in the Premier League and celebrations from Scotland fans, which the BGS said their instruments were able to register.
