The north-west of England has been struck by a natural disaster as residents have been woken overnight by a 3.3-magnitude earthquake shaking whole homes and ‘sounding like bricks falling in’
An earthquake has struck north-west England with dozens woken up with their homes ‘shaking’. The 3.3-magnitude earthquake hit Lancashire overnight, according to Sky News.
The earthquake began at 11.23pm on Wednesday night, December 3, according to preliminary data. Dozens of people have reported that they woke up to the feeling of their homes shaking.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) said that it was “felt across the South Lakes and Lancashire, mainly within 20km of the epicentre, including Lancashire, Kendal and Ulverston”. The earthquake struck off the coast of Silverdale at a depth of 1.86 miles (3km), suggests data currently available.
Despite there being around 200 to 300 earthquakes each year in the UK, detected by the BGS, only 20 to 30 of these are said to be felt by people. A few hundred smaller earthquakes are only recorded by sensitive instruments.
The majority of these earthquakes are very small and cause no damage. Reports and reactions to the natural disaster were posted online. One post included that the earthquake “felt like an explosion and vibration coming from underground”.
Another added that it was “so powerful to shake the whole house” and somebody else commented that it “sounded like bricks falling/the roof falling in.”
Data currently signifies that although the depth could not be determined, it is assumed to be shallow. The quake was felt widely in the area.
Many people in Lancashire have reported feeling the shaking sensation as well as people in nearby towns. The closest larger town where the quake may have been felt is Preston, which is around 43km from the epicentre.
