Saturday 17 February 2018

Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake in Neath Port Talbert, South Wales.

The British Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake at a depth of 7 km, about two kilometres to the south of the village of Cwmllynfell in Neath Port Talbert County, South Wales, slightly after 2.30 pm GMT on Saturday 17 February 2017. There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, but people have reported feeling this event across most of Wales and England, as well as on the east coast of Ireland.

The approximate location of the 17 February 2018 Cwmllynfell Earthquake. Google Maps.

Earthquakes become more common as you travel north and west in Great Britain, with the west coast of Scotland being the most quake-prone part of the island and the northwest of Wales being more prone  to quakes than the rest of Wales or most of England.
 
The precise cause of Earthquakes in the UK can be hard to determine; the country is not close to any obvious single cause of such activity such as a plate margin, but is subject to tectonic pressures from several different sources, with most quakes probably being the result of the interplay between these forces. 
 
The precise cause of Earthquakes in the UK can be hard to determine; the country is not close to any obvious single cause of such activity such as a plate margin, but is subject to tectonic pressures from several different sources, with most quakes probably being the result of the interplay between these forces.
 
(Top) Simplified diagram showing principle of glacial rebound. Wikipedia. (Bottom) Map showing the rate of glacial rebound in various parts of the UK. Note that some parts of England and Wales show negative values, these areas are being pushed down slightly by uplift in Scotland, as the entire landmass is quite rigid and acts a bit like a see-saw. Climate North East.
  
Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. If you felt this quake, or were in the area but did not (which is also useful information) then you can report it to the British Geological Survey here. 
 
See also...
 
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/sinkhole-swallows-man-in-south-wales.htmlhttp://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/magnitude-15-earthquake-in-gwynedd.html
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/magnitude-24-earthquake-in-caerphilly.htmlhttp://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/magnitude-14-earthquake-in-caerphilly.html
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/magnitude-12-earthquake-on-lleyn.htmlhttp://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/magnitude-19-earthquake-in-flintshire.html

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