Huge earthquake rocks parts of Scotland as magnitude revealed by experts

A HUGE earthquake has hit off the coast of Scotland.

The quake measured 3.2 in magnitude, according to the British Geological Survey (BGS).

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The large tremor struck just before noon off Shetland on Saturday.

It was 175km (108 miles) east of Lerwick and it is not known at this stage if it was felt by any oil rigs.

In 2022, a 5.1 magnitude, occurred 180km (112 miles) north east of Shetland.

The BGS said that quake was felt in Shetland, Aberdeen, Ellon, Stonehaven, Helmsdale, Inverurie, Lairg, Huntly, Banff and Fraserburgh.

It said that reports then described: “lying in bed and heard a low rumbling sound”, “three waves of vibration in about three seconds”, “it woke me up as windows rattled”, “bed shook and windows creaked”, “mirror rattled” and “felt it as well as heard it, enough to wake me up”.

The survey said one report came from Aberdeen – more than 311 miles (500km) from the epicentre, which was about 86 miles (140km) west of Norway, and 112 miles (180km) north east of Shetland.

In January that year a significant earthquake measuring 3.6 in magnitude was recorded in the North Sea, in an area of oil and gas platforms.

It struck around 146 miles east of Aberdeen.

The BGS said that earthquake was close to both the magnitude 3.1 magnitude Central North Sea event which occurred on 14 February 2021 and the magnitude 4.2 magnitude Central North Sea event which occurred on 24 September 2019.

The 4.2 magnitude event was reported felt by several people on the Production/Utilities/Quarters (PUQ) platform in the Elgin-Franklin gas and oil field.

A 6.1 magnitude quake hit the North Sea in 1931 and another in the area measuring 5.1 was recorded in 1958.

The 1931 tremor on the Dogger Bank was the strongest earthquake recorded in the UK since measurements began.

The tremor began at around 1.30 am on June 7 with its epicentre 60 miles off the Yorkshire coast.

The effects were felt throughout the UK as well as in Belgium and France.

The earthquake resulted in damage at locations throughout eastern England.

The coastal town of Filey in Yorkshire was worst hit, with the spire of a church being twisted by the tremor.

Chimneys collapsed in Hull, Beverley and Bridlington, and Flamborough Head suffered crumbling of parts of its cliffs.

It was also reported that a Hull woman died as a result of a heart attack caused by the quake.

Rather less seriously, in London the head of the waxwork of Dr Crippen at Madame Tussauds fell off.

A small non destructive tsunami wave was reported to have hit the east coast of England and other countries around the North Sea.

The largest known Scottish earthquake on land occurred near Loch Awe in 1880, with a magnitude of 5.2.

There are roughly 200-300 quakes in Britain every year, but the vast majority are so small that no one notices them. However between 20-30 are over 2.0 magnitude which can be felt over a wider area.

The most damaging UK earthquake was in the Colchester area in 1884.

Some 1200 buildings needed repairs, chimneys collapsed and walls were cracked.

Earthquakes in Scotland are most often attributed to glacial rebound.

Until about 10, 500 years ago much of the north of the UK was covered by a thick layer of ice – which pushed the rocks down into the underlying mantle.

These rocks have been slowly rising back up ever since the ice melted, causing occasional earthquakes in the process.

The UK is also subject to tectonic stresses caused by the expansion of the Atlantic Ocean, which is slowly pushing the entire of Eurasia to the east, and from the northward motion of Africa, which is pushing into Europe from the south.