An earthquake with an estimated intensity of between 3.8 and 4.2 was registered north of Cardiff on Friday evening. No injuries were reported.
A rare occurrence in Britain. An earthquake struck south Wales around 12km from the town of Abertillery, north of Cardiff, just before midnight on Friday night, with no casualties according to initial reports of help.
The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) reported an earthquake measuring 3.8 on the Richter scale on Friday, which occurred at 11:59 p.m.
Google Android’s Earthquake Alert System rates the quake as a magnitude 4.2.
“A Huge Rumble”
In the evening, the quakes were felt in the region as far as the capital Cardiff. Local residents complained on social media that they saw the ground shaking.
“I woke up at midnight last night wondering if the ground was shaking or if I was dreaming,” says one user.
“Doors and windows rattled after a huge rumble was heard. It was like someone grabbed the house and shook it,” wrote another.
According to the website VolcanoDiscovery.com, the earthquake was of an intensity considered “moderate” and its epicenter was only 2 km deep.
“Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than earthquakes that occur at depth because they are close to the surface,” the site says.