Britain counting cost of largest earthquake since 1984 (2nd Roundup)

Feb 27, 2008, 13:06 GMT

Seismograms of an earthquake recorded on the British Geological Survey (BGS) seismograph network. with a magnitude of 5.2 (ML) on the Richter scale near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, England, at 00.56 GMT on 27 February, 2008. The epicentre was approximately 8 km east of Market Rasen and reports suggest that the earthquake has been felt widely accross England. EPA/BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY / HO

London - Britain was Wednesday counting the cost of the most severe earthquake to hit the country since 1984 in which one person was injured and structural damage was estimated to run into millions of pounds.

The earthquake, measuring 5.2 on the Richter Scale, according to a revised reading by the British Geological Survey (BGS), struck at 0100 GMT with the epicentre 48 kilometres south of the port of Hull, in north-east Britain.

The quake's epicentre was traced to the town of Market Rasen, in the county of Lincolnshire, south of Hull. Three hours later, at around 0400 GMT, the BGS recorded an aftershock with a magnitude of 1.8.

A 19-year-old student was injured in Wombwell, South Yorkshire, after masonry from the chimney crashed into his bedroom as a result of the tremor.

The quake was felt from Manchester in the north to Birmingham, in the Midlands, to Newcastle in the north-east and even in London, more than 200 kilometres from the epicentre.

Across the country, residents called the emergency services with reports of buildings shaking, cabinet doors opening and alarms ringing.

An earthquake of magnitude 5 occurs every 10 to 20 years in Britain, according to the BGS.

Wednesday's tremor was the strongest since a quake of 5.4 struck north Wales in 1984.

The Association of British Insurers said Wednesday that the cost of damage to homes and property was likely to be in excess of 10 million pounds (20 million dollars).

The BGS said it records around 200 earthquakes in Britain each year, of which about 30 are felt.

According to experts, an old fault zone that could have remained dormant for hundreds of millions years could be to blame for the latest earthquake.

'It is possible that this earthquake reflects the reactivation of an old fault zone that has lain dormant for tens or hundreds of millions of years,' said Professor Robert Holdsworth, an expert in structural geology at Durham University.

'The UK crust is riddled with such old faults which form an important part of our geological heritage. Perhaps this one is just reminding us that it is still there,' he said.