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Tuesday 4 January 2011

Second earthquake measuring 3.6 in Richter scale hits northern England

An earthquake rocked the North of England last night. Tremors were felt across Cumbria, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire, after the quake hit at an epicentre near Ripon, North Yorkshire. Residents reported hearing ‘an explosion’ and a ‘rumbling’ and feeling their floors and walls shaking and rattling from the earthquake, which was between 3.6 and 3.7 on the Richter scale and began at 9.02pm. It was the second earthquake to hit the region within two weeks, although experts say tremors of such magnitude are rare. On December 21, the British Geological Survey measured a tremor which was 3.5 on the Richter scale in Coniston in the Lake District. Dan Blakeman, a geophysicist at the U.S.-based National Earthquake Information Centre said: ‘It was pretty widely felt across the North of England. England gets quite a few small earthquakes during the year, but it is rare for it to have them over 3.5 on the Richter scale. And to have two so close together is unusual – although purely coincidental. (Daily Mail)