Leeds village hit by earthquake as 1.2 tremor recorded
If you felt like the earth was shaking - turns out it was 😱
A small earthquake struck a village near Leeds last week.
Residents in Bramham, a few miles from Wetherby, might have noticed the tremor on Thursday (May 21) night.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) has confirmed that the 1.2 magnitude quake hit the village at around 10.44pm on that date. It was a relatively deep seismic event, with the BGS recording a depth of 27km for the tremor near Leeds.
However, it is not the only earthquake to have been recorded in Yorkshire so far this month. A quake of 0.8 struck Litton, 30 miles north of Skipton, on May 2.
The BGS has also recorded a tremor of 0.9 in Askrigg in Upper Wensleydale, 12 miles west of Leyburn. This seismic event was much closer to the surface with a depth of three kilometres.
For small earthquakes, like the recent ones recorded by the BGS in Yorkshire, it is unlikely that you will actually be able to notice them. The Swiss Seismological Society explains on its website: “Near the epicentre, earthquakes with a magnitude of just 2.5 or greater can be felt. Only rarely do we receive earthquake announcements for events with a magnitude of slightly less than 2.
“Earthquakes are felt widespread at magnitudes of 3 or greater. Earthquakes with magnitudes of between 4 and 5 can be noticed within a radius of 100 to 200 kilometres. At magnitudes of 5 or greater, it may be several hundred kilometres under certain circumstances.”
Did you feel like you noticed the earthquake last week? Let us know by email: [email protected].