Christmas 2006 will be remembered for seismic as well as festive events. Liam Bailey
Boxing Day saw three earthquakes, a major earthquake in Taiwan, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale, will no doubt engulf the smaller two in the world media reports as the damage and death tolls of the tragic event continue to be updated. The smaller ones I refer to are a 3.1 magnitude tremor centred near Applecross, Wester Ross, in the West Highlands of Scotland and a 3.5 magnitude tremor in Dumfries & Galloway not too far from where I live. Fortunately I never felt it. The BBC Reporting Scotland reported two tremors in Dumfries & Galloway, but didn’t say where and that the British Geological Survey (BGS) in Edinburgh measured them at 3.5 on the Richter scale. I spoke to BGS seismologist; David Galloway, I asked him if the report was correct, because I found it strange that only one measurement was given for two tremors. He said there had been only one tremor at 10:40am, which had been 3.5 on the Richter scale.
I asked Mr Galloway if the people of Dumfries should be worried, as major earthquakes usually give smaller tremors beforehand. He said “no, this was a one off” he told me that not all earthquakes have foreshocks or after shocks and that the ones in this area usually didn’t, adding “This was the main event, not a foreshock, there’s no need to be alarmed.” He also told me that there are usually “between 150 and 200″ earthquakes in Britain each year. I asked if this number was rising and he said: “No, people have a tendency to think that earthquakes are becoming more frequent, it’s just that the instruments we have to measure them are better and we are picking up more of the smaller ones.” I asked if today’s was the biggest and he told me that the biggest was 6 on the Richter scale in 1931, but that today’s was “a significant event” and the “largest this year on shore.” Adding “The last largest was 30 May 2001, a 2.9″ on the Richter scale.
The Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary press release, which I receive by e-mail confirmed that there had been no injuries or damage reported, although they took hundreds of calls after the event.
I decided to try and work out where exactly the earthquake had been, the BGS earthquakes website says Dumfries, so I telephoned Woolworths in Dumfries and asked the young gentleman, who wished not to be named if he had felt the earthquake, he said: “Yes, we felt it in the store, but it was over that quickly.” I asked him what happened, and he said “not much really, a few things fell off the counter.” He also told me that they didn’t really know what it was; they thought something had fallen over in the stock-room above, until customers came in later talking about the earthquake. I asked him if they had been alarmed and he said “no, because they hadn’t realised what it was.” So I asked him if, when they found out it had been an earthquake they were worried that there might be more and he said: “No, not at all.”
I then spoke to seven people between 100 miles west of Dumfries, in Stranraer, and Dumfries, only one of the people I spoke to had felt the earthquake and he was also in Dumfries. So I decided that the epicentre must have been either somewhere in Dumfries itself or to the East, North or South of Dumfries. The gentleman told me he hadn’t been alarmed by the earthquake as he had been in Tenerife when a bigger earthquake happened.
I telephoned the BGS again to see of they had found out anymore. Julian Buckits, BGS seismologist told me that the epicentre had in fact been North West of Dumfries in the area of Lincluden. By then I had heard about the major earthquake in Taiwan, I asked Julian if there could be a connection between the two seismic events and he answered: “No, absolutely not, just coincidence.” If you live locally you can help the BGS by visiting their website and filling out a short-questionnaire. When I spoke to Julian everyone was packing up to go home and enjoy the rest of Boxing Day, but he said that all the data from the questionnaire will be analysed at great length when they return after the New Year. Please add a comment if you felt the earthquake, or if you were affected by the earthquake in Taiwan.
