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COST SAVER PODCAST • Ep. 164

UK Earthquake Myths and Facts: How to Check a Tremor Near You

Hosted byAsad & Angela(AI-generated voices)
10 November 202618 min listenSeason 1 • Ep. 164

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Article:UK Earthquake Myths and Facts: How to Check a Tremor Near YouInteractive Tool:UK Earthquake & Tremor Tracker
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UK Earthquake Myths and Facts: How to Check a Tremor Near You

Now Playing · Ep. 164

UK Earthquake Myths and Facts: How to Check a Tremor Near You

The Cost Saver Podcast

00:000%00:00

AI-generated voices. For information only - not financial guidance.

Key moments

1In this episode of The Cost Saver Podcast,
0:20
2UK earthquake myths explained: check if a tremor
5:02
3Tap into the chapters, related tools, and
9:44

Key Takeaways from This Episode

  1. 1In this episode of The Cost Saver Podcast, Angela and Asad unpack uk earthquake myths and facts using UK data and real numbers — so you can decide what to actually do, not just what to think about.
  2. 2UK earthquake myths explained: check if a tremor near you was real using BGS data, learn what else can shake your home and what to do if you spot damage.
  3. 3Tap into the chapters, related tools, and companion article right on this page.

Episode Transcript

Asad & Angela — AI-generated hosts · click to collapse

v
A
[Angela]:
Welcome to Cost Saver Conversations. I'm Angela, and I ask the practical questions so you can quickly understand what matters. Today, I'm joined by Asad.
A
[Asad]:
Hi Angela. We are unpacking "UK Earthquake Myths and Facts: How to Check a Tremor Near You" today and tying it back to the wider Cost Saver ecosystem, including tools like UK Earthquake & Tremor Tracker, so you can turn insights into action quickly.
A
[Angela]:
Just a heads-up before we dive in: we are your synthetic hosts. We are great with numbers, but as AI, we can sometimes be confidently wrong. Think of us as the digital versions of your most knowledgeable, slightly caffeinated friends.
A
[Asad]:
Exactly. Treat this chat as a smart estimate only, not as professional financial guidance. Always check important details with official sources or a qualified expert before making any big decisions.
A
[Angela]:
Hello and welcome back to Cost Saver. I'm Angela, and today we're talking about something that I think a lot of people in the UK have experienced at least once — that weird moment where you're just sitting there, maybe watching telly, and suddenly the windows rattle and you think... what on earth was that?
A
[Asad]:
Yeah, it's such a strange feeling. You sort of freeze for a second and your brain just — it goes through this rapid-fire list. Lorry? Neighbours doing something? And then... wait, was that an earthquake?
A
[Angela]:
Exactly! And then you pick up your phone and social media is just — it's chaos. Everyone's asking the same question and getting completely different answers.
A
[Asad]:
Which is, honestly, one of the main things I want to get into today. Because the misinformation that spreads after a tremor can be just as — I don't know, just as problematic as the tremor itself. People make decisions, financial decisions, safety decisions, based on stuff that's just... not accurate.
A
[Angela]:
Right. So, Asad — let's start with the basics, because I think there's this assumption, and I'll be honest, I kind of had it myself, that the UK just doesn't really have earthquakes. Like, that's a Japan or California thing, isn't it.
A
[Asad]:
Yeah, that is probably the most common myth. And it's understandable, you know, because we're not on a plate boundary in the same way those countries are. Britain sits in the middle of a tectonic plate. So we don't get the massive, frequent earthquakes you associate with the Pacific Rim.
A
[Angela]:
But?
A
[Asad]:
But — and this is the bit that surprises people — we do have old faults in the Earth's crust that still shift under slow, steady stress. So the UK is not earthquake-free. It's just, um, a lower-risk environment. The British Geological Survey — the BGS — they typically report something like two hundred to three hundred earthquakes detected across the UK and surrounding waters in a year.
A
[Angela]:
Wait — two hundred to three hundred? In a year?
A
[Asad]:
In a year, yeah.
A
[Angela]:
I had no idea it was that many. Genuinely, I had no idea.
A
[Asad]:
Most people don't. But the key thing is — most of those are far too small or too remote for anyone to actually feel. Only a few dozen in a typical year are strong enough for people to notice. So you can go your whole life in the UK and only feel a small event once or twice, if that.
A
[Angela]:
Oh, that's actually — yeah, that's kind of reassuring. But there have been some bigger ones historically, haven't there?
A
[Asad]:
There have, yeah. So the largest recorded UK earthquake was the 1931 Dogger Bank event, out in the North Sea — that was around magnitude 6.1. Then there's the 1884 Colchester earthquake in Essex, which actually damaged a lot of buildings and is still considered one of the most destructive onshore events we've had.
A
[Angela]:
Essex! [laughs] I would never have thought of Essex.
A
[Asad]:
[laughs] I know, right? And more recently — well, more recent in the grand scheme of things — the 2008 Market Rasen earthquake in Lincolnshire reached about magnitude 5.2 and was felt across large parts of England. And then in 2018, a magnitude 4.4 in the Swansea Valley area of South Wales was felt by a lot of people.
A
[Angela]:
So they're not just in Scotland and Wales, then. Because that's — I've heard people say that. Like, oh, it's always up north or it's always Wales.
A
[Asad]:
Yeah, that's a myth. They can occur across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the surrounding waters. There's no one region that has a monopoly on tremors.
A
[Angela]:
Okay. So let's get into the myths more specifically, because there are quite a few. What are the ones you see coming up again and again?
A
[Asad]:
So the — well, the big one is the idea that if you felt it, it must have been a large earthquake. And that's just not how it works. Feeling a tremor says more about how close you were to the source than how much energy was actually released.
A
[Angela]:
Oh! I hadn't really thought about it like that.
A
[Asad]:
Yeah, and quiet conditions make a huge difference too. If it happens late at night when everything's still, you're much more likely to notice even a tiny movement. Someone lying in bed at two in the morning might feel something that their neighbour, who was driving home with the radio on, completely missed.
A
[Angela]:
Hmm. That makes sense, actually.
A
[Asad]:
And then the flip side of that is the myth that if no one else felt it, it wasn't real. Small tremors can be felt across a really narrow area. Your street might have felt it while the next town over noticed absolutely nothing. Does that make sense?
A
[Angela]:
Yeah, completely. So you could genuinely be the only person on your road who noticed it and it still could have been real.
A
[Asad]:
Absolutely.
A
[Angela]:
What about — I've seen this one a lot online — the idea that the UK is overdue a major earthquake?
A
[Asad]:
Ah, this one — [sighs] this one really bothers me. Faults don't work to a timetable. The word 'overdue' implies earthquakes happen on some kind of schedule and they just... don't. It's not a reliable prediction method. And actually, on that — nobody can reliably predict when or where an earthquake will happen. Scientists can map hazard and estimate long-term likelihood, but they cannot give you a dependable date and time.
A
[Angela]:
So if you see a post on social media claiming to predict a specific UK earthquake—
A
[Asad]:
—don't believe it. Full stop. Those posts are not credible. Please don't make decisions about travel or money or anything else based on them.
A
[Angela]:
Right. And what about the fracking one? Because I feel like that comes up constantly — people saying every tremor must be caused by fracking.
A
[Asad]:
So — this one's a bit nuanced, actually. Natural faults cause most UK earthquakes, that's the baseline. Some small tremors have been linked to human activity — there were cases near Blackpool connected to shale gas exploration, and historical coal mining can cause subsidence and small tremors too. But those are exceptions. Not every rumble is caused by industrial activity, and assuming it is just leads people to the wrong conclusions.
A
[Angela]:
Okay. So let's get practical, because I think this is what people actually want to know. Someone feels a tremor — what should they do? Like, what's the actual process?
A
[Asad]:
Right, so the first and most important thing — note the exact time as quickly as you can, including the date. And write down roughly where you are, your postcode area or nearest town is fine. That's your starting point.
A
[Angela]:
Because you need that to check against the records.
A
[Asad]:
Exactly. Then you go to the BGS earthquake list — they publish recent UK earthquake information — and you look for events near that time. Then you compare the recorded location with where you were and work out roughly how far away it was. And then you look at the magnitude and depth and ask whether it's plausible that you felt it at that distance.
A
[Angela]:
And is that process complicated? Do you need to be, like, technically minded?
A
[Asad]:
No, honestly it's — it's pretty straightforward. It normally takes about ten minutes. The main thing is just having that time noted down, because matching a precise time against a seismic record is one of the quickest ways to confirm what you felt.
A
[Angela]:
And if nothing comes up straight away?
A
[Asad]:
Don't immediately conclude you imagined it. Data can take a little while to appear, and very small events may not be listed publicly at all. Check again later. And if there's still nothing, then you start looking at other explanations.

Episode Notes & Resources

v

Information only. This content is not financial or legal guidance.

Credits: The Cost Saver Podcast team, with AI-assisted production and editorial review.

Full Written Guide: UK Earthquake Myths and Facts: How to Check a Tremor Near You

This podcast episode is based on the companion article for deeper context and references.

Read the full written guide: UK Earthquake Myths and Facts: How to Check a Tremor Near You

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FAQ

Q: What is this episode about?

A: This episode covers: People, who. It explains the most practical ideas first, highlights common mistakes, and gives clear next steps you can apply to your own situation without needing specialist knowledge.

Q: How long is this episode?

A: This episode is approximately 18:48. You can use key moments to jump directly to sections, revisit the parts that matter most to you, and turn the guidance into a short action list after listening.

Q: Can I read this instead?

A: Yes. Check the "Related blog article" section for the full written version with links and references. The written format is useful if you prefer scanning, comparing options line by line, or sharing specific points with family members.

Q: Can I listen on other platforms?

A: Yes. Use Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube links on this page when available. Platform availability can vary by processing time, so if one link is delayed, the web player and companion blog still provide full access.

Q: What other topics are covered?

A: feel. These are connected to the main discussion so you can understand trade-offs, avoid one-sided decisions, and choose actions that are realistic for your budget and timeline.

Q: Which tools should I use after listening?

A: Start with: Self-Assessment Payment Schedule Calculator UK, Should I Move City?, Postcode Air Quality Health Cost Calculator. You can find them in the Related tools section below. A good approach is to run one baseline scenario first, then test two or three alternatives so your final decision is based on numbers, not guesswork.

Q: Are there related blogs I can read next?

A: Yes. This episode links to 8 related blog articles for deeper context. Reading one follow-up article is often enough to clarify assumptions and help you build a practical weekly or monthly plan.

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