A Perthshire village was rocked by two earthquakes in a single night as residents felt the ground shake “like a fairground ride”.
Blackford experienced its sixth and seventh seismic events in just over a month with people also reporting aftershocks in Auchterarder and Aberuthven.
The Perthshire village was the centre of a 2.5 magnitude tremor at 6.43pm on Sunday, the biggest earthquake to hit the area in over a decade.
A few hours later, at 9.01pm, it was hit again by a smaller 0.8 magnitude quake.
Perthshire village rocked by ‘one of the largest earthquakes in almost a decade’
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The tremors have come in quick succession since September 2.
The 1.3 magnitude quake that struck the village that day was the joint largest to affect Blackford in 1o years, with 1.3 quakes also shaking the area in 2011 and 2015.
Since then residents have endured a 1.4, 2.3 and now 2.5 magnitude quake.
Cath Rollo, who lives on Moray Street in the village, said Sunday’s quake was the biggest she had felt.
She said “I never thought when I moved to Blackford it would be the earthquake centre of the UK.
“The one (on Sunday) night was the most significant one people have felt in the village.
“It didn’t last long in total but it really shook the house.
“It felt like the ground had been banged really hard. It felt like a fairground ride where you’re moved from side to side very quickly.
“It seemed like we were being shifted.”
At the Star Hotel on Auchterarder High Street, a staff member said “people definitely felt it”.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) recorded the quake as occurring at a depth of six kilometres.
The organisation’s summary report said it was felt by residents in Blackford, Auchterarder, Braco, Aberuthven, Gleneagles and Glendevon.
The BGS said it had received reports including “windows rattled”, “sounded like some sort of explosion”, “heard a loud bang”, “we felt a thud, like it was coming from under the house” and “felt like someone falling upstairs”.
Blackford resident Bob Watkinson added: “This is the first one I haven’t slept through. It was like the side of the house was hit by a truck. I’ve spoken to other people who said they stepped outside to check if that had happened too.
“It probably lasts for less than a second, like a sharp intense belt. Some people have had their sofas moved.
“We’ve heard that the latest one was felt as far away as Alva on the other side of the Ochils.
“We know it’s not like the earthquakes in New Zealand, but for Blackford it’s quite unique and interesting.”
