Earthquake rattles the west of Scotland
The 3.1 magnitude tremor was felt as far away as Edinburgh
Last updated 16th Nov 2021
People in the west of Scotland received a bump in the night after an earthquake shook the region in the early hours of Tuesday morning (16th November).
The 3.1 magnitude quake happened just before 2am with its epicentre some 11 miles northwest of the town of Lochgilphead, 88 miles northwest of Glasgow, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.
More than 30 people reported to the USGS that they had felt the tremor, with reports coming from as far as Edinburgh and Ballycastle in Northern Ireland.
The agency said the quake happened 10km below the Earth's surface.
Data from the British Geological Survey shows between 200 and 300 earthquakes are detected in the UK every year, with tremors of between 3.0 and 3.9 magnitude occurring on the mainland once every three years on average.
Police Scotland said they "received a report of a possible explosion and the ground shaking" in the village of Tarbert at around 2am.
A spokeswoman added: "Following inquiries it was confirmed an earthquake had taken place in the Lochilphead area.
"There are no reports of any damage to properties or utilities."