Blackpool is hit by 1.5 magnitude earthquake

2023-02-04

Blackpool is hit by 1.5 magnitude earthquake as locals report shaking cabinets and ‘a noise like a train coming near’

The tremor, at a depth of two kilometres, hit the Lancashire town at 7.36pm
It was also felt in Little Plumpton, Weeton and Westby

A 1.5 magnitude earthquake struck Blackpool on Friday evening, the British Geological Survey (BGS) said.

The tremor, which was at a depth of two kilometres, hit the Lancashire town at 7.36pm.

The BGS said there had been reports describing ‘a noise like a train coming near’ and ‘cabinets shaking’ following the quake.

The earthquake was also felt in Little Plumpton, Weeton and Westby, the organisation said.

The tremor, which was at a depth of two kilometres, hit Blackpool (pictured) at 7.36pm

Locals took to social media to ask if other people had felt the earthquake.

One user wrote: ‘Me, wasn’t sure what it was at first but def felt it!!’

Another posted: ‘My friend in Plumpton did but felt nothing in central b’pool.’

It comes less than a month after a magnitude 2.1 tremor was recorded in the Irish Sea, some 35km off the coast of Blackpool.

The British Geological Survey said there had been reports describing ‘a noise like a train coming near’ and ‘cabinets shaking’ following the quake

While both earthquakes were not high on the Richter scale, they took place at a shallow depth, which can make them more noticeable than those deeper within the Earth’s crust.

The BGS recorded Friday’s tremor as a three on the European macroseismic scale, which is used to denote the intensity of a quake and features 12 possible divisions, ranging from ‘not felt’ to ‘completely devastating’.

Three denotes a ‘weak’ earthquake that is substantial enough to cause ‘noticeable shaking of many objects’.

The BGS recorded Friday’s tremor in Blackpool as a three on the European macroseismic scale, which is used to denote the intensity of a quake and features 12 possible divisions, ranging from ‘not felt’ to ‘completely devastating’

The Blackpool area experienced some 135 tremors in 2019. In August of that year, British exploration and production company Cuadrilla was forced to halt fracking at its shale gas site near Blackpool after sparking the largest tremor recorded at the location.

The tremor closed down operations at the Preston New Road site shortly after it was detected.

It came less than a week after Cuadrilla began fracking its second well on the site after abandoning the first well following several shutdowns due to tremors.

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