Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Cornwall earthquake: 2.2-magnitude quake shakes houses in West Country

'My beer is still standing so we are all good,' notes one resident

Colin Drury
Friday 09 August 2019 03:29 EDT
Comments
Falmouth, near to quake's epicentre
Falmouth, near to quake's epicentre

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Homes shuck and bangs were heard as an earthquake rattled Cornwall.

The 2.2-magnitude tremor struck three miles southwest of Falmouth near the town of Helston, the British Geological Survey (BGS) said.

“Just had a small earthquake,” one woman wrote on Twitter. “My beer is still standing so we are all good.”

No structural damage was reported during the earthquake at 4.52pm on Thursday.

Steve Cowe, who lives in the area, told the Cornwall Live website: “It was like a double boom.

“We were sat in the living room watching TV and thought it was something crashed into the house or the side of the house, it was that kind of shake.

“In seconds everyone came out of their houses on the street or were looking out the windows.”

He added: “We thought it was an aircraft crash to begin with. It was too loud for thunder.”

The BGS said the origin of the tremor was 2.8km beneath ground.

In a statement, it added: “A small number of reports have been received from the immediate area by members of the public. One described: ‘Loud bang from beneath (I was sat on sofa). Windows shook’.”

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

There are about 15 seismic movements of the size felt in Cornwall - or greater - in the UK each year.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in