The Cornwall earthquake felt like a masker hitting a house, residents say

An earthquake in Cornwall at the weekend was like a car crashing into a house, local residents said.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) recorded a magnitude 2.7 earthquake just before 1am on Sunday.

Although the epicenter was near Mount St Michael on the south coast and eight miles underground, it shook houses for seconds from St Just in the far west of the county to Redruth, about 25 miles away distance.

Residents described the event as a rumble of thunder, an explosion or an avalanche that shook windows and trim. Others thought it was a plane’s sonic boom.

The BGS also said it had received reports from Helston, Penzance and Camborne.

“Quite small by global standards”

Dr David Hawthorn, a seismologist at the BGS, told BBC Cornwall: “This was quite small by global standards.

“In Britain we have phenomenally complicated geology and this is especially true in Cornwall and sooner or later the stress breaks and we have an earthquake.”

The team has appealed for information and is urging residents to get in touch with their experiences.

Dr Hawthond added: “We’re still getting data so please give us a description because we want to know how much the ground shakes in a particular location.”

According to the BGS, the UK is hit by between 200 and 300 small to moderate tremors each year, with fewer than 30 ever felt. Most occur in western mainland Britain, where the tectonic plates are thinner and weaker.

Large earthquakes are rare in the UK

Large earthquakes are very rare in the UK because the UK does not sit on any faults between tectonic plates.

The BGS has estimated that the biggest possible earthquake Britain could experience would be 6.5 on the Richter scale, which could cause widespread damage in populated areas.

The largest recorded earthquake near the United Kingdom occurred in the North Sea on 7 June 1931. Known as the ‘Dogger Bank’ earthquake, it occurred about 60 miles off the Yorkshire coast, causing a small tsunami to hit the coast of east.

Several chimneys and areas of rock collapsed and tremors could be felt as far south as London. A tourist from Hull has been reported to have died after suffering a heart attack when the head of a waxwork of murderer Dr Crippen was shaken from Madame Tussauds.

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