A 3.3-magnitude earthquake shook homes across north-west England late Wednesday night, terrifying residents who described houses rattling and loud rumbling sounds. The tremor struck at 11:23pm on December 3 off the coast of Silverdale, Lancashire, near the Cumbria border - strong enough to wake thousands but causing no injuries or damage.
The British Geological Survey confirmed the quake, which was felt across Lancashire and the southern Lake District, including Kendal, Ulverston and Carnforth. More than 1,100 people reported experiencing the tremor, with some describing sensations as far away as Blackpool. Residents told the BGS it «felt like an underground explosion» and was «so powerful it shook the whole house».
Social media quickly filled with startled reactions. «What the hell was that? House just shaken like a leaf?» posted Lynn Snowdon on a local Facebook page late Wednesday. Sue Anderson wrote: «Absolutely shaken to my core. Don't think I'll be sleeping tonight, terrified.»
Katrina Simmons described being jolted awake: «The shaking woke me up, I thought someone had driven into the house.» She added: «It was about 25 to 12 and I jumped straight out of bed. I live on my own so it gave me a hell of a scare. It was only when I went on Facebook this morning I realised it was an earthquake.»
Emergency Response
Lancashire Police initially received reports of a "loud explosion" in the Carnforth area. Officers responded alongside Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and the North West Ambulance Service.
Lancaster Police confirmed via Facebook: «At 11.23pm on Wednesday night (December 3), we received reports of a loud explosion in the Carnforth area. There has been a minor earthquake in the area, near to the Lancashire and Cumbria border, measuring 3.3 magnitude. There have been no reports of anyone injured or damage caused but we have officers in the area, together with colleagues from the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and the North West Ambulance Service.»
Authorities asked anyone aware of property damage to contact police, quoting log 1613 of December 3.
Rare But Not Unprecedented
The earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 1.86 miles, which likely contributed to its widespread impact. The British Geological Survey told Sky News the tremor was felt «across the South Lakes and Lancashire, mainly within 20 kilometres of the epicentre, including Lancashire, Kendal and Ulverston».
The UK experiences between 200 and 300 earthquakes annually, according to the BGS, but only 20 to 30 are strong enough for people to feel. Most cause little or no damage and are detected only by instruments.
This marks the second earthquake to hit the UK this month, following a 1.0-magnitude tremor in Newport, South Wales, on Monday. The most recent UK earthquake exceeding 3.3 magnitude occurred on October 20 in parts of Perth and Kinross.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
