A magnitude 3.3 earthquake shook homes in northwest England on Wednesday evening, the British Geological Survey (BGS) reported.
The earthquake struck shortly after 11:23 p.m. and was felt across Lancashire and the southern Lake District, including the towns of Kendal and Ulverston, within a 12-mile radius of the epicenter.
Data suggests the earthquake occurred just off the coast of Silverdale, Lancashire, at a depth of 1.86 miles.
Residents told BGS it “sounded like an underground explosion” and was “so powerful it shook the whole house.”
The Volcano Discovery website, which also collects earthquake information, received more than 1,100 reports from people who were in the area at the time.
Most reports detailed “mild” or “weak” shaking.
Each year the BGS detects between 200 and 300 earthquakes in the UK, but only 20 to 30 are strong enough to be felt.
Most go unnoticed, recorded only by sensitive instruments, and the vast majority cause little or no damage.
The most recent earthquake, with a magnitude greater than 3.3, was felt in parts of Perth and Kinross on October 20. The BGS said the earthquake occurred at 7:25 a.m. with its epicenter at Pubil in the Glen Lyon area.
