Residents report bang like tremor and shaking of their properties in Mansfield, Papplewick, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Ravenshead, Newstead Village and Blidworth which experts confirm was earthquake.
Experts have confirmed that Nottinghamshire was hit by an earthquake on Tuesday evening as social media sites were flooded with reports of a tremor.
The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 2.6, struck 0.6 miles from Hucknall, which is just under eight miles north of Nottingham, at about 7.17pm, according to the British Geological Survey.
Many residents thought their houses had been hit by a car and some a few thought their shaking beds were caused by pre-Halloween ghosts.
Glenn Ford, a seismologist from the British Geological Survey said, “Reports have been received from several residents in Mansfield, Hucknall, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Papplewick, Ravenshead, Newstead Village and Blidworth, Nottinghamshire, via the online reporting facility on the BGS Seismology website, indicating they felt this event. The reports received described, ‘felt a heavy rumble as if some big lorry had passed’, ‘vibration lasted for a few seconds with a rumbling noise’ and ‘heard a loud bang and felt a shudder.”
Stephanie Holland, who lives in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, told BBC Radio Nottingham, “We were sitting in the lounge watching TV and there was suddenly a very loud boom and the floor shook.” She said the earthquake lasted between 10 and 15 seconds and brought her neighbours out of their houses.
Kieran Jobling, 20, who lives in West Bridgford, said, “I was sat in my room and it suddenly shook to its foundations. I genuinely thought it was a poltergeist. I’m relieved it was an earthquake; I’d rather not have a haunted house so close to Halloween!”
Nottingham residents used Twitter to share their stories of the earthquake, which they described as feeling like a big bang and sharp shaking.