Residents not shaken by Midlothian quakes

Published on Tuesday 11 December 2007 12:18

FEW people could mistake Midlothian for southern California. But after experiencing two earthquakes in just over a week, the residents of Penicuik may be feeling just a little closer to the people of San Francisco.

Researchers from the British Geological Survey recorded two earthquakes measuring 2.3 on the Richter Scale in the town within 10 days of each other, and said they had received dozens of calls from people who had felt the earth move.

Experts said that the Penicuik tremors had been large enough to shake furniture and rattle windows when they hit, first on November 30 then again on Sunday.

And they added that the tremors are the first true earthquakes to be recorded in Midlothian for more than a decade.

Bennett Simpson, a seismologist from the BGS in Edinburgh, said: "We've had quite a few calls from people who have asked us whether there was an earthquake on these two dates.

"Most of them said they said that they had felt a large bump and felt the floor shake, but others talked about their houses shaking and feeling their furniture move.

"It's not unusual to have earthquakes occurring in the same place within a few days or weeks of each other, but they are rare in this particular part of Scotland.

"They appear to have been quite shallow tremors, which is probably why people felt them. If they are deeper underground, it's more difficult to notice that one has happened at all."

He added: "We record around 200 in the UK every year, but these are the first we've recorded in Penicuik for at least 15 years.

"We've also seen tremors caused by old mining areas collapsing in the past but this isn't the case here. They are definitely natural earthquakes."

The first tremor hit the town on November 30, while the second was recorded at around 4pm on Sunday afternoon.

Reports to the BGS described events such as "a strong thump from beneath the floor" and "a rumbling which lasted no more than a second or two".

Another resident reported "a sideward motion of the house with a loud bang".

Mike Jackson, secretary of Penicuik and district community council, said

said: "I thought it was just someone slamming the door. It only lasted a second or two, so I didn't think much more of it.

"My wife was sitting down at the time and said there was a thump and that it felt as if the chair had moved.

"We had no idea it was a proper earthquake. Unless your house starts shaking like mad and your furniture is being thrown all over the place, you don't think it could be something like that."

Emergency services say no reports of damage were received.