Cornwall has recorded its second earthquake this year, according to data from the British Geological Survey (BGS). The latest small quake, known as a microseism, took place on Tuesday (October 25) and had a magnitude of 0.5.
The tremor happened at around 6.42pm in Penpol, near Truro. The earthquake was 8 km deep, Cornwall Live reports.
Most earthquakes are shallow and their depths usually average 10km. Tremors from a shallow earthquake are usually more intense than deep earthquakes.
This seism only had a magnitude of 0.5. Earthquakes with a magnitude below 2.5 are not usually felt but can be recorded by seismographs.
However the earthquake earlier this year was said to be "as intense as a hand grenade", despite having a magnitude of just 0.1. It was only 5km deep and centred on Constantine, near Falmouth, Cornwall. Data from the BGS revealed that the earth tremor occurred on Friday, June 3, just after 7pm.
In late 2020, dozens of small tremors were recorded in the county. But they were all found to have been induced seismic events, tremors caused by human activity such as geothermal, oil and gas operations. They are typically minor.
All of the seismic events originated from the Carharrack area, near Redruth, and were of magnitudes which usually can only be felt by seismographs. But the biggest one, with a magnitude of 1.7, was felt in several villages.
Following the incident, an investigation was launched at United Downs Geothermal, a local geothermal energy power plant, where drills are sent deep into the ground to extract heat. United Downs Geothermal previously confirmed some earth tremors in the area were linked to its operations.
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