British citizens from Teesside were awakened on Thursday morning just before 6am by a magnitude-2.8 earthquake. The so-called “Tees tremor” caused homes to shake, but luckily no injures have been reported. But how often to earthquakes hit the UK each year?

What is an earthquake?

An earthquake describes the movement within the earth’s crust which causes stress to bult up at points of weakness and rocks to defore.

This stored energy builds and when it exceeds the strength of the rock, the rock gractures along a fault line, often at a zone of existing weakness within the rock.

The stored energy which is suddently released is an earthquake.

Earthquakes can feature intense vibrations, seismic waves and can spread out form the initial point of rupture, the focus, like ripples on a pond.

These waves make the ground shake and can travel large distances in many directions.

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Are earthquakes common in the UK?

Earthquakes are very common in the UK and around the world.

In the past 50 days, there have been 28 earthquakes across Britain.

The largest was on December 5 in Bridgwater, Somerset, hitting magnitude-3.2.

But on average the earthquakes in the UK range from magnitude-0.7 to magnitude-2.0.

According to the British Geological Survey (BGS), around 20 to 30 earthquakes are felt by people each year, while a few hundred smaller ones are recorded by sensitive instruments.

Of the 50 felt by people in the past 50 days, only three have been noted as being felt by people.

Several of these 28 quakes were beneath the Irish Sea and English Channel.

The BGS records reveal Astley in Greater Manchester was hit by two in a 40 minute period on December 23 but they were less than magnitude-1.0.

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After the Stockton-on-Tees earthquake on Thursday, which was felt in Stockton, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool, the BGS tweeted some responses.

One person said: ““I felt my entire room move and I have never felt anything like that in my life.

“I thought I was losing my mind.

“I felt a very distinct movement I have never experienced before. I am based in Norton in Stockton-on-Tees.”

Can UK earthquakes be dangerous?

Very occasionally, UK earthquakes have caused considerable damage.

One of the most destructive UK earthquakes occurred in the Colchester area in 1884.

It caused such damage that around 1,200 buildings needed repairs after chimneys collapsed and walls cracked.

The largest UK earthquake ever recorded with modern instruments occurred near the Dogger Bank in 1931 at magnitude-6.1.

The quake was 60 miles offshore, but was still powerful enough to cause minor damage to buildings on the east coast of England.

The most recent significant earthquake was a magnitude-4.6 tremor which struck 4.7 miles below Cwmllynfell in south Wales in 2018.

Typically across the UK, earthquakes most commonly strike in Wales and on the north-east coasts of Scotland and England.

Seismologists do not know exactly why this is, but it is likely to be because of the location of faults in the Earth’s crust.

Can UK earthquakes be dangerous?

Very occasionally, UK earthquakes have caused considerable damage.

One of the most destructive UK earthquakes occurred in the Colchester area in 1884.

It caused such damage that around 1,200 buildings needed repairs after chimneys collapsed and walls cracked.

The largest UK earthquake ever recorded with modern instruments occurred near the Dogger Bank in 1931 at magnitude-6.1.

The quake was 60 miles offshore, but was still powerful enough to cause minor damage to buildings on the east coast of England.

The most recent significant earthquake was a magnitude-4.6 tremor which struck 4.7 miles below Cwmllynfell in south Wales in 2018.

Typically across the UK, earthquakes most commonly strike in Wales and on the north-east coasts of Scotland and England.

Seismologists do not know exactly why this is, but it is likely to be because of the location of faults in the Earth’s crust.

Why does the UK not experience huge earthquakes?

The intensity of an earthquake is dependent on the layers of the Earth and tectonic plates.

The UK is situated in the middle of the Eurasian tectonic plate, so is not close to the intense pressure points where large earthquakes result.

Earthquakes happen around the world, but according to the USGS the most earthquakes occur in Indonesia.

This is because Indonesia is in a very active seismic zone, also, but by virtue of its larger size than Japan, it has more total earthquakes.

Japan meanwhile has the densest seismic network in the world so it is the country where the USGS locates the most earthquakes.

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