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19 Sept 1508: was this the day the UK's largest earthquake occurred?
19 Sept 1508: was this the day the UK's largest earthquake occurred? The 500th anniversary of what may have been the largest earthquake ever to affect the UK in historical times occurs on 19 September 2008. Its size was perhaps as large as magnitude 7 (about the same size as the Kobe earthquake of 1995). The epicentre is unknown but could have been west of the Outer Hebrides. The mysterious earthquake of 1508 is one of the earthquakes discussed in a book recently published on Historical Seismology.
The impact of this earthquake is poorly documented however; it seems to have been felt across Scotland and England but without any reported damage. This would be consistent with a large offshore earthquake, similar to the 1929 earthquake off the coast of Newfoundland (M=7), which produced a damaging tsunami.
"There are geological similarities between the offshore areas of Newfoundland and the Hebrides," said Dr Roger Musson of the British Geological Survey. "Both are low seismicity areas, but research has shown that unexpectedly large earthquakes can occur in seismically quiet areas, especially at the oceanic edges of continents." Fortunately, even if the 1508 earthquake was the "Big One" for the UK, it's not likely to happen again any time soon. "Earthquakes like this in low seismicity areas are very rare events, something that might happen once in several thousand years," said Dr Musson. "Even if it did happen again, most likely the damage would be limited because of the offshore epicentre, but it would be an alarming experience throughout the country - just as it was in 1508."
The lack of information on the 1508 earthquake is frustrating. Dr Musson continues, "Compared to Medieval annalists, Tudor historians tend not to mention British earthquakes. If this earthquake was large and had an epicentre west of the Outer Hebrides, the worst effects would be confined to the remote areas of north-west Scotland, and wouldn't be likely to be recorded."
The few historical sources that mention the earthquake describe it as frightening, and felt mostly strongly in churches. "Churches, being taller, might be more susceptible to shaking from a large distant earthquake than ordinary houses," says Dr Musson, "there are other possible explanations as well; an earthquake in the Northern North Sea, for instance."
As descriptions for an earthquake in 1508 from either Norway or Ireland are unknown, the mystery remains unsolved......
*Ends*
Notes for Editors
BGS Earthquake Seismology
* For more on earthquakes go to http://www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/
* For earthquake enquiries email ukeqs@bgs.ac.uk
Book reference
Multidisciplinary Advances in Historical Seismology: Interdisciplinary Studies of Past and Recent Earthquakes (Modern Approaches in Solid Earth Sciences) by Julien Frechet (Editor), Mustapha Meghraoui (Editor), Massimiliano Stucchi (Editor) Hardcover - Kluwer Academic Publishers (Jul 2008) - 446 Pages
ISBN 1402082215 - ISBN-13 9781402082214
List Price: £69.00
The British Geological Survey
The British Geological Survey (BGS), a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), is the nation's principal supplier of objective, impartial and up-to-date geological expertise and information for decision making for governmental, commercial and individual users. The BGS maintains and develops the nation's understanding of its geology to improve policymaking, enhance national wealth and reduce risk. It also collaborates with the national and international scientific community in carrying out research in strategic areas, including energy and natural resources, our vulnerability to environmental change and hazards, and our general knowledge of the Earth system. More about the BGS is at http://www.bgs.ac.uk http://www.bgs.ac.uk/
