Homes have been rocked as an earthquake hit Cornwall with reports of ‘loud bangs like a lorry crash’ heard.
Residents in West Cornwall reported “rumbling” and “juddering” in the early hours of this morning. The quake happened offshore in Mount’s Bay, but tremors were felt in Penzance, Camborne and Helston, the British Geological Survey said.
A spokesperson said: “Reports have been received from residents in Helston, Penzance and Camborne, in Cornwall, that this event was felt. Reports described ‘a moderate rumbling’ and ‘a bang and a judder, like a juggernaut had hit the house’.
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Earthquakes at a 2.5 magnitude or below are usually not felt but can be recorded by a seismograph. Damage to buildings and infrastructure does not usually occur until the earthquake magnitude reaches somewhere above four or five.
A quake is not considered a major until it reaches 7 on the magnitude scale. People in the area described the moment it felt like a lorry had crashed into their houses. It is not the only one to hit Cornwall this year.
In February, locals felt their houses ‘shake’ as the earth moved beneath them a quake with a magnitude of 1.5 on the Richter scale began in Penryn, two miles west of Falmouth. Before that, the last earthquake to be recorded in Cornwall had a magnitude of 0.5 in late October last year.
Explaining its recordings, the British Geological Survey says: “The British Geological Survey provides up-to-date information on recent and historical earthquakes, educational resources, and seismic hazard services.
“Depths are rounded to the nearest km and all events shallower than 1 km are listed as 1 km. Magnitudes are local magnitude (ML) and are calculated to one decimal place, as is standard practice in earthquake seismology.”
