Earthquake recorded in Cornwall over Jubilee weekend
The British Geological Survey says it hit at Constantine near Falmouth
Last updated 8th Jun 2022
While most of us were busy celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, others were feeling the tremors from an earthquake in Cornwall.
According to data from the British Geological Survey, it hit close to the village of Constantine near Falmouth on Friday evening.
The BGS says the quake struck at a shallow 5km deep and measured 0.1 in magnitude.
Some locals have reportedly described it as like a hand grenade going off, while others said they felt nothing at all.
This is not the first incident in the Duchy - a small quake was recorded off the Cornish coast in June 2021, 15 miles north west of Trevose Head near Padstow.
According to the British Geological Survey, around 10 quakes have been recorded around the British Isles in the last week.
What is an earthquake?
The British Geological Survey says: "An earthquake is the sudden release of strain energy in the Earth’s crust, resulting in waves of shaking that radiate outwards from the earthquake source.
"When stresses in the crust exceed the strength of the rock, it breaks along lines of weakness, either a pre-existing or new fault plane.
"The point where an earthquake starts is termed the focus or hypocentre and may be many kilometres deep within the earth.
"The point at the surface directly above the focus is called the earthquake epicentre".
All quakes around the British Isles in the last 50 days can be found on the British Geological Survey website.