Earthquake Hits North Lincolnshire

Tremors were felt across the town as an earthquake struck North Lincolnshire just before 1 a.m. on February 27th. The quake lasted only a few seconds, and caused little damage to property. However it was large enough to be felt, and to wake many people up.

The epicentre is reported by The British Geological Survey as around eight kilometres east of Market Rasen, and 5.2 on the Richter Scale. According to their report, "This is the largest Earthquake in the UK since the magnitude 5.4 ML Lleyn Peninsula earthquake in 1984". Click here for their report (PDF),

However, there is some disagreement about the exact magnitude of the quake. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre reports it as a magnitude mb 4.9 (body-wave) earthquake. The body-wave is a measurement used for quakes that are usually more than 2000 miles from the recording station. The USGS recorded a magnitude of 4.7 for this event.

Some people have reported feeling an aftershock at around 3 a.m.