Tremor centred on Folkestone
Posted on 04/28/2007 1:21:00 AM PDT by jdm
Earth tremors have been felt in southern England, shaking parts of Kent.
Kent Fire Brigade said there had been an explosion in Folkestone, but the tremors have been felt across a wide area, suggesting that is unlikely.
Many homes have sustained damage, with reports of cracks in buildings and chimneys falling down, while power and phone supplies have been lost in a number of towns.
More to follow...
Rosie O’donnell come for a visit?
Hmmm...Folkestone is where the Channel Tunnel originates from in the U.K.
Tremor? When the hell was the last time there was an Earthquake in England?
Well, I guess it happens - just not all that often.
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=earthquake+england&meta=
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2007bsal.php
Magnitude 4.7 - ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
2007 April 28 07:18:11 UTC
Versíon en Español
Details
Summary
Maps
Scientific & Technical
Additional Info
Where can I find...?
Earthquake Details
Magnitude 4.7
Date-Time
Saturday, April 28, 2007 at 07:18:11 (UTC)
= Coordinated Universal Time
Saturday, April 28, 2007 at 8:18:11 AM
= local time at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 51.024°N, 1.030°E
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
Distances 25 km (15 miles) S of Canterbury, England, UK
85 km (55 miles) ENE of Brighton, England, UK
100 km (60 miles) ESE of LONDON, United Kingdom
150 km (95 miles) WNW of Lille, France
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 7.1 km (4.4 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters Nst= 40, Nph= 40, Dmin=395 km, Rmss=0.95 sec, Gp= 86°,
M-type=body magnitude (Mb), Version=7
Source
USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID us2007bsal
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
Did you feel it?
Report shaking and damage at your location. You can also view a map displaying accumulated data from your report and others.
Preliminary Earthquake Report
U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center
World Data Center for Seismology, Denver
Thanks a lot, Cindy. Much appreciated.
LONDON (AP) -- A moderate earthquake rattled parts of southeast England Saturday morning. There were reports of structural damage but no immediate reports of injuries.
Data from the U.S. Geological Survey said the 4.7-magnitude quake struck at 8:18 a.m., about 60 miles southeast of London.
Witnesses said cracks appeared in walls and chimneys collapsed across the county. Residents said the tremor lasting about 10 to 15 seconds.
"I was lying in bed and it felt as if someone had just got up from bed next to me," said Hendrick van Eck, 27, of Canterbury, 60 miles southeast of London.
"I then heard the sound of cracking, and it was getting heavier and heavier. It felt as if someone was at the end of my bed hopping up and down."
There are thousands of moderate quakes on this scale around the world each year, but they are rare in Britain. The country's strongest earthquake took place in the North Sea in 1931, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale.
Snugs? You ok over there???? Did this wake you up? Isn’t this somewhere near where you live?
Also from usgs.gov:
“Per protocol, please remove from ‘breaking’ if deemed appropriate. :O)”
Well, it sounds like something broke over there for sure :)
Speaking as a veteran ground surfer, (SoCal for the last 40 years) a 4.7 quake in England left a lot of people a few steps short of the loo.
(Had to say it before anyone else did...)
Thank you jdm and gondring.
An earthquake with a magnitude of at least 4.7 has shaken householders in parts of Kent.
The fire service has received calls from people in the Deal and Folkestone areas reporting large cracks in house walls and chimneys falling down.
The tremor at 0818 BST, which lasted a few seconds, was felt as far afield as Essex, East Sussex and Suffolk.
Eyewitness Lorraine Muir said: "We've been evacuated by the Sally Army, we've got no gas or electricity."
A website for the US Geological Survey, which monitors earthquakes, said the tremor had a magnitude of 4.7.
It believes the epicentre of the tremor was located 15 miles (25km) south of Canterbury and had a depth of 6.2 miles (10km).
A Eurostar spokesman said everything was "running normally" on the Channel Tunnel.
Sharon Hayles, from Stanford near the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone, said her house slid from side to side for about 10 to 15 seconds.
Violent shaking
Another Folkestone man told BBC Five Live Breakfast that his whole house "shook quite violently".
Paul Smye-Rumsby, who lives in Dover, said: "It was about 08.15 when suddenly the bed shook violently.
"I thought my wife had got cramp or something but then I saw the curtains were moving and the whole house was shaking. It lasted about 1.5 seconds.
"All the power is off and we have got the portable radio on. People are standing outside talking to each other about it."
End of the world ping
C'mon, now is not the time for humor! :O)
But that's good material, nonetheless...
That’s really something jdm.
Living in California in the USA for most of my life; I don’t really get excited about earthquakes unless it’s around the 6.0.
My husband said probably in this earthquake, you have to be concerned with the brick buildings.
“”All the power is off and we have got the portable radio on.”
Being prepared for an emergency — any emergency is a good thing.
We have those wind up radios, so we can monitor the updates in our area
when necessary.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.