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Earthquakes in the UK – what was the latest quake in Surrey and how many have there been in 2019?

We have many earthquakes in the UK but not all of them are big enough to feel

SURREY was rocked by a 3.3 magnitude earthquake on February 27 - just 12 hours after another tremor shook the region.

Here's the lowdown on quakes in Britain and the biggest ones to ever hit the UK.

 The earthquake's epicentre was just west of Crawley near Gatwick Airport
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The earthquake's epicentre was just west of Crawley near Gatwick AirportCredit: USGS

What was the latest quake in Surrey and Sussex?

A magnitude 3.3 earthquake struck Surrey TODAY (February 27).

The quake was recorded in Newdigate, Surrey at around 3.24am.

Loud bangs and rumbles were reported in Epsom, Reigate and Horley, with one man saying it felt like a “truck had hit his house”.

Dozens of terrified residents who live near Gatwick Airport took to social media to say that they felt their "whole house shaking".

Rosie Young tweeted: “Whole block of flats shook! Thank God for #twitter to reassure me it was an earthquake and my flats aren't falling down!!! #Reigate #Surrey”

Large earthquakes are extremely rare in Britain but scientists recently uncovered two fault lines running directly under London.

 A tremor was recorded this morning, with seismologists seeing a spike just after 1.30pm
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A tremor was recorded this morning, with seismologists seeing a spike just after 1.30pmCredit: Twitter

 How many quakes have hit the UK this year?

There have been 27 earthquakes in the UK since the start of 2019.

But many have been so small they have hardly been felt.

Newdigate alone has seen earthquakes registered on February 14, 19 and 27.

They registered at 2.4, 2.0 and 3.3 respectively.

 The quake was recorded just after 1.30pm on February 27
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The quake was recorded just after 1.30pm on February 27

What are the largest tremors to hit the UK?

The largest known British earthquake occurred in the North Sea near the Dogger Bank in 1931, with a magnitude of 6.1.

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

The most damaging UK earthquake was in the Colchester area in 1884, in which several people were killed and shockwaves were felt as far away as the Houses of Parliament.

Other notable events include the 5.4-magnitude the quake at Lleyn, Wales in 1984.

It was the largest onshore earthquake ever recorded in the UK and had hundreds of aftershocks.

Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, saw a magnitude 5.2 quake in 2008.

It was felt as far away as Aberdeen and Ireland.

A 5.1 magnitude quake struck Bishop's Castle, Shrophire, in 1990, causing some damage.

 

And a 4.7 magnitude tremor in Dudley, West Mids, in 2002 was felt over much of England and Wales.

While hundreds of quakes actually happen here every year, only around 10 are strong enough to be felt at all - and many of these are very minor.

The UK experiences a magnitude 5 - which can damage buildings - roughly every 10–20 years.

​Residents in Surrey ​reported a magnitude 3.3 earthquake that caused whole buildings to ​'​violently shake​'​


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