Locals have described the moment a 1.7-magnitude earthquake shook homes across Perthshire.
The tremor struck parts of Highland Perthshire just before midnight on Wednesday.
Residents of Kinloch Rannoch, Glen Lyon, Tummel Bridge, Keltneyburn and Fearnan reported feeling the ground shake and hearing a “loud noise.”
The quake lasted for around five seconds.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) recorded states the earthquake occurred at a depth of 3km.
The epicentre was a couple of miles south of Carn Mairg, a Munro on the north side of Glen Lyon.
The nearest built-up area was Balintyre, a hamlet five miles to the south.
There have been no reports of damage to property.
Perthshire resident says quake ‘like a mega loud end of washing machine cycle’
Kinloch Rannoch resident Ali Penman described his experience to The Courier.
“I was just in the house switching the computer on and heard such a loud noise,” he said.
“Like a really loud rumble – what I can only describe as a mega, mega loud end of a washing machine cycle when it goes into crazy spin.
“I didn’t feel any shakes in the house but the audio was really loud and made me take notice that it was weird.”
Another local confirmed the noise was “similar to a washing machine going on a noisy sudden spin, but way louder.”
Others reported feeling their houses shake and the slates on their roofs rattle.
Caroline Patterson added: “The dogs shot through from their beds scared and looking back towards the door.
“Although it was vibrational in nature, I wasn’t aware of any movement here in Tummel Bridge.
“At first I thought it was thunder or a large vehicle, but then I realised it was something more.”
‘Risk from earthquakes not insignificant’
Seismology Davie Galloway from the BGS said: “Each year, between 200 and 300 earthquakes are detected and located in the UK by the BGS.
“Between 20 to 30 earthquakes are felt by people each year and a few hundred smaller ones are only recorded by sensitive instruments, like the small event in Perth & Kinross last night.
“Although distant from the nearest plate boundary, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, earthquakes occur as crustal stresses within the tectonic plates are relieved by movement occurring on pre-existing fault planes.
“The risk from these earthquakes is not insignificant and must be considered when engineering for sensitive installations.”
The Perthshire town of Blackford was struck by seven earthquakes within a month in 2020.
Anyone who felt or heard the tremor on Wednesday night can report it to the British Geological Society.
Conversation