London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Scotland hit by second earthquake in a week with Highland tremor

Scotland hit by second earthquake in a week with Highland tremor

Scotland has experienced its second earthquake in less than a week after the Highlands was hit by a tremor.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) said a 2.2 magnitude earthquake was registered just outside Roybridge, near Spean Bridge, at 09:29 on Friday.

The organisation said it had a depth of 7.5km (4.6 miles).

The survey said: "A small number of reports have been received by members of the public in Roybridge indicating they felt this event."

Friday's quake was the latest night-time tremor to hit the country.

A 3.3 magnitude earthquake was reported by the BGS, just before 02:00 on Tuesday, with its epicentre at Achnamara, about 11 miles west of Lochgilphead in Argyll and Bute, 88 miles north-west of Glasgow.

More than 30 people reported that they had felt the tremor, with reports coming from as far as Edinburgh and Ballycastle in Northern Ireland. It also registered on all the seismographs across Ireland.

That quake happened 10km (6.2 miles) below the Earth's surface.
Data from the BGS shows that between 200 and 300 earthquakes are detected in the UK every year, with tremors of between 3.0 and 3.9 magnitude occurring on the mainland once every three years on average.

Glenn Ford, the BGS seismic analyst on call at the time of the tremor, said he was surprised it had been felt as it was "absolutely tiny" compared with other earthquakes seen around the world

"In UK terms, because we are a very low seismic area, we only perhaps get about 15 earthquakes a year of this size or greater, so it's quite unusual in that respect," he said.

'House shook'


Iain MacDonald, who was staying in the village, felt and heard the tremor.

"It was about 9.30pm and I felt the tremor, but I heard it much more. It was really quite loud, like a train rumbling past the house," he said.

"I knew what it was straight away, I have heard it before and felt the tremor before."

Tuesday's earthquake's epicentre was west of Lochgilphead


Resident Michael Sillars said he "heard a big rumble and the house shook". "It did feel like a really loud, close passing train," he said.

Mr Ford said the tremor was 17 billion times smaller than the earthquake which devastated Japan in 2011.

"You literally wouldn't look up from your coffee or your newspaper for an earthquake that size in California or Japan," he said.

Nice and still


He added there were a number of factors as to why people felt earthquakes in the UK, including size and depth and the time of day.

"Because people are not used to earthquakes in the UK, they put a small earthquake, because it could just be a small tremor, down to traffic noise", he said.

"So if somebody is in a very remote area like this which occurred last night there is much better opportunity to actually feel it because they are nice and still, it was late at night, and probably in a sedentary position.

"Normally if the roads had been busy or you're near a motorway, you'd just put it down to traffic."

As for the recent quakes in Scotland, Mr Ford said there had "obviously been a little bit of stress built up in that area".

Why do earthquakes occur in Scotland?


Quakes are associated with a geological feature called a fault, which is a fracture or an area of fractures between two huge blocks of rock.

During an earthquake there is a sudden movement between these blocks, such as one slipping down or up against the other.

In Scotland, these faults can run for hundreds of miles.

According to BGS, most Scottish earthquakes occur in western Scotland with events felt in places such as Islay in the Inner Hebrides and also Fort William and, in November last year, in Glen Coe.

In the Highlands, one of the most active areas, seismic activity is related to what are known as the Highland Boundary Fault Zone, Great Glen Fault Zone, Strathconon Fault, Kinlochhourn Fault and the Loch Maree Fault.

The Great Glen Fault is probably the best known of the fault zones. At least 300 miles (483 km) in length it cuts diagonally across the Highlands from Inverness to Fort William and has its origins in events that happened about 400 million years ago.

It is home to the world-famous Loch Ness, just down the road from Inverness.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×