Earthquakes Hazards in the UK

Compared to the rest of the world, the seismicity in the UK is low. According to UKOOG "On average, the UK experiences seismic events measuring 5 (felt by everyone nearby) every 20 years and events measuring 4 (felt by many people) every three to four years." 
I learned that the UK's largest earthquake "was near the Dogger Bank in 1931, with a magnitude of 6.1." Although the earthquake in 1931 was 60 miles offshore it was still able to cause major damage to buildings off the coast of England according to British Geological Survey. GBS also reports that "The most damaging UK earthquake was in the Colchester area in 1884. Some 1200 buildings needed repairs, chimneys collapsed and walls were cracked." 
Map showing UK earthquakes

BBC was asked why the UK does not get larger earthquakes? they answered  "Most earthquakes happen at the boundaries between the Earth's tectonic plates, where there is the largest amount of stress. The UK is located in the middle of the Eurasian tectonic plate, so is not subject to significant earthquake activity." As I learned last week since the UK is in the middle of the Eurasian plate it does not experience large earthquakes compared to other parts of the world; however, the UK is surrounded by numerous amounts of faults.

I was unable to find a lot of sources that talk about how the UK prepares for the possible affects of earthquakes. However, I found an article that talks about their unpreparedness in case of a possible disastrous earthquake. Express reports "BRITAIN is "not prepared" to deal with huge high magnitude earthquakes capable of wiping out scores of homes across the land, according to a leading UK seismologist." Dr Silvio De Angelis said it would be "disastrous" if an earthquake of magnitude 9 or higher was to hit the UK - and claimed British houses would not be able to withstand the force of such a catastrophic natural disaster." 
building damage following an earthquake
Dr, Silvio De Angelis then goes on to state that he doubts the UK would ever experience such a disastrous earthquake which is mainly why he knows how unprepared they are for one. He does say the results would be devestating if such a large earthquake would reach the UK. 




Comments

  1. Ana GGFebruary 17, 2020 at 3:28 PM

    It makes sense they don't use many resources to deal with a hazard that is not very frequent or dangerous overall...I bet they practice quake drills in school...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marissa MelendrezFebruary 17, 2020 at 4:04 PM

      I researched their drills and was unable to find any specifically from the United Kingdom. However, I have 3 friends who live in the United Kingdom and 2 of them said they have NEVER had an earthquake drill and have never experienced an earthquake which was shocking to me to find out since they do have faults. Very interesting.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

United Kingdom - Final

Image
Floods are the main natural hazard in the United Kingdom. Throughout the semester, I learned that Floods were a common theme in the UK and occur more often than any other natural hazard in the UK. Devastating floods occur at least once a year and occur more often due to climate change. London Health reports “The increased incidence of flooding in the UK and in other parts of the world is largely attributed to climate change, which has been accelerated by global warming as a result of the way we live our lives; this is the opinion of many experts but it is not a certainty and scientific research in this area is ongoing.” Since the UK is one of the most flood-prone countries due to climate change, Carbon Brief shares “According to one study the new report cites, warming of 3.5 to 4.8 degrees Celsius by the 2080s – which is what the IPCC expects if emissions stay high – would expose an additional 250,000 to 400,000 people in Europe to river flooding, and potentially up to 5.5 millio
Read more

Tectonic Setting and Natural Hazards- United Kingdom

Image
The Tectonic Setting and Natural Hazards of the United Kingdom The UK is is located in the middle of the  Eurasian Plate . The Eurasian plates nearest boundary is the Mid-Atlantic ridge. The boundary type of the Mid-Atlantic ridge is divergent. According to  Universe Today , " The Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) is known as a mid-ocean ridge, an underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonics. It is the result of a divergent plate boundary that runs from 87° N – about 333 km (207 mi) south of the North Pole – to 54 °S, just north of the coast of Antarctica."  While conducting my research, I learned that the UK is currently not on a plate  margin: meaning it is not tectonically active according to  The Geological Study . They state " Over time, a series of tectonic events has resulted in the current location and structure of the UK - in the last 700 million years, we have gradually drifted north from near the South Pole! Evidence of this turbulent tectonic past i
Read more