Earthquake of 2.6 magnitude hits Nottinghamshire
Tuesday 28 October 2014 22.34 GMT
_http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/28/nottingham-earthquake-tremor-experts-confirm
Residents report ‘big bang’-like tremor and ‘sharp shaking’ of their properties which experts confirm was earthquake
Trent Bridge, Nottingham Many residents thought their houses had been hit by a car, while a few thought their shaking beds were caused by pre-Halloween ghosts. Photograph: David Sillitoe
Experts have confirmed that Nottinghamshire was hit by an earthquake on Tuesday evening as social media sites were flooded with reports of a tremor.
The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 2.6, struck 0.6 miles from Hucknall, which is just under eight miles north of Nottingham, at about 7.17pm, according to the British Geological Survey.
Nottingham residents used Twitter to share their stories of the earthquake, which they described as feeling like a “big bang and sharp shaking”.
Many residents thought their houses had been hit by a car and some a few thought their shaking beds were caused by pre-Halloween ghosts.
Kieran Jobling, 20, who lives in West Bridgford, said: “I was sat in my room and it suddenly shook to its foundations. I genuinely thought it was a poltergeist.
“I’m relieved it was an earthquake; I’d rather not have a haunted house so close to Halloween!”
Verity Cowley, who lives near Kirkby-in-Ashfield, tweeted: “NG17 here and I nearly wet myself. Felt like something had exploded in the house.”
Chris @nottmdude wrote: “Thought a plane or car crashed into the house myself.
“Seriously nearly ran out the house thinking it was going to fall down.
“Around 7.15pm. Felt like something crashed into the house. I thought it was something flying over the house that caused the rumble.”
Lee March wrote: “I’d just stood up and the ground shook. I thought a truck had come through the house.”
The earthquake that struck Nottinghamshire was felt as far as six miles away from its epicentre near Hucknall, according to experts.
A spokesman for the British Geological Survey said: “Reports have been received from several residents in Mansfield, Hucknall, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Papplewick, Ravenshead, Newstead Village and Blidworth, Nottinghamshire, via the online reporting facility on the BGS Seismology website, indicating they felt this event.
“The reports received described, ‘felt a heavy rumble as if some big lorry had passed’, ‘vibration lasted for a few seconds with a rumbling noise’ and ‘heard a loud bang and felt a shudder’.”
The tremor was like a “water tank exploding”, according to Ciaran Brown, 23, from Annesley.
He said: “I was sitting in my living room and, out of the blue, there was this noise/thud, being followed a split second later by some shaking. It wasn’t enough to disturb anything, but you could certainly feel the sensation. I initially thought it was something falling over upstairs or the water tank exploding. The whole episode couldn’t have lasted more than two seconds.”
