22 December 2023 , 10:23
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Residents in a small rural village shaken by an earthquake said the strange movement struck "with a bang".
The epicentre was in the little countryside village of Capel Carmel in Pen Llyn in Gwynedd, northwest Wales. Residents said it felt "like thunder" and rumbled "with a bang". Writing on a Facebook page, residents said it "sounded like it was in the sky."
According to data recorded by the British Geological Survey (BGS), the earthquake was centred on Capel Carmel on Wednesday, December 20. The tremor was at a depth of 19km, with a magnitude of 1.8 on the Richter scale, which measures the energy released by earthquakes. It was felt two miles away, according to the data, which was at the nearby hamlet of Rhydlios.
Earlier this year, another tremor, 1.3 on the Ritcher scale, rocked Llanfigael on Anglesey, north Wales, and was measured at 1.3 on the Richter scale. There was also a bigger quake on February 24 three miles north west of Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales The 3.7 magnitude quake was at a depth of 2km and shook homes as far away as Birmingham.
And also in February this year, another earthquake was recorded in Llwynmawr in the Ceiriog Valley of Wrexham, north Wales. This quake was recorded at 10.08am on Saturday February 4, although it was unclear if it was felt in the area as it was very small. According to the Richter scale, it was scaled at a depth of 13km and according to BGS' data was only measure by 0.9.
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Capel Carmel is near the Welsh coast, a short distance from popular tourist hotspots like beaches at Aberdaron, Porth Ysgo and Porth Neigwl. It is also near Eryri National Park, formerly known as Snowdonia.