Residents in Perthshire got an unexpected early morning wake-up call after an earthquake sounding like a “car crash” hit the area for the fifth time in a month.
People also complained of their houses rattling.
The 2.3 magnitude tremor was recorded by the British Geological Society (BGS) close to Blackford, where residents reported feeling the tremor.
Perthshire village rocked by ‘one of the largest earthquakes in almost a decade’
It was also felt at Auchterarder and Glendevon, with all reports coming from within around 8km (5 miles) of the epicentre.
“Reports described, ‘heard the roof tiles rattle’, ‘bookcase rattled and heard a rumble and bang’, ‘thought car had crashed into building’ and ‘heard and felt a trembling and rumbling’,” said the BGS.
The tremor struck at 5.54am on Monday and at a depth of 2km.
There were also earthquakes in the area on September 14 and two the previous day.
On September 2, a 1.3 magnitude quake was felt by several residents who reported “a weak to moderate shaking”.
It was just 17 miles from Comrie – the country’s quake capital.
In June, Comrie was rocked by an earthquake, with locals claiming it sounded “like an explosion”.
Windows shook and light fittings rattled as the village was hit with a 2.2 magnitude quake.
More than 30 reports were made by residents, who felt the tremor.
According to the BGS, one villager reported hearing “a really loud bang” while another said “it sounded like an explosion and the windows all shook”.
Comrie is regarded as the earthquake capital of the UK – subject to more intense tremors than anywhere else – and is sometimes referred to as the ‘Shaky Toun’ or, in Gaelic, ‘Am Baile Critheanach’.
One result of this is The Earthquake House, built on a rocky outcrop in a field on the west side of the village and said to be Europe’s smallest listed building.
Why the geology here should be so active is a matter of debate.
The Highland Boundary Fault passes along Strathearn a short distance south of Comrie and is usually said to be the cause. But the epicentre of the quakes tends to lie north of the village.
Whatever the cause, earthquakes were recorded in Perthshire as far back as 1597, and in Comrie in 1788.
The largest known Scottish earthquake occurred near Loch Awe in 1880, with a magnitude of 5.2.
