Earthquakes in Donegal and Ireland.

Sceala Philosopher Location: Carlow

Up until this week I never knew that we ever had any earthquakes in Ireland. County Donegal has had at least three earthquakes so far this year.
What is going on with all these earthquakes in Donegal. I don't see anyone on here speaking about any earthquakes in Donegal. Has any one you know of experienced any of these events.

This week two earthquakes recorded in Co Donegal
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Two minor earthquakes have occurred in north Donegal in the past 24 hours.
The School of Cosmic Physics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies confirmed the tremors, saying the one recorded last night measured 1.5 on the Richter scale while another this morning measured 1.7.
This brings to three the number of small earthquakes in the county this month.
According to Thomas Blake, Experimental Officer at the Institute, the small tremors are 'natures way of releasing the stresses and strains built up over time in very deep faults.'
Mr Blake stressed that while having a few together is unusual, it is not remarkable.

Earth tremor felt in north Donegal
An Earthquake measuring 1.6 on the Richter scale struck Donegal on Thursday night.

The minor tremor struck at 7.30pm, with the epicentre located at Bridgend in the south of the Inishowen peninsula, the School of Cosmic Physics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies confirmed yesterday.

The tremor was felt in Bridgend and Buncrana in Inishowen and westwards across Lough Swilly in the Fanad peninsula.

A number of people fled their homes in the village of Kerrykeel, fearing the worst before they realised the threat had passed.

Shop assistant Teresa Gillespie (26) was with her parents at their home in Desertegney, 9km from Buncrana, when they were disturbed by what sounded like “a really loud rattle of thunder”.

“It was a big rattle and it lasted a couple of minutes. It started in one place and seemed to roll along Lough Swilly,” Ms Gillespie said. She said they knew it couldn’t be thunder because there was no lightning and the night was clear.

Dr Thomas Blake of the School of Cosmic Physics said a number of people in Donegal had already filled in an online questionnaire on the institute’s website outlining details of the incident.

He said Donegal was one of the counties most at risk of earthquakes in Ireland due to several fault-lines extending from Scotland to north Donegal. Thursday evening’s tremor was picked up by all the seismic recording stations in the north of Ireland and Scotland.

“North Donegal and from Wexford across the Irish Sea are the areas most likely to be associated with earthquakes in Ireland,” Dr Blake added.

Anyone who experienced this week’s tremor is invited to fill in the questionnaire on the institute’s website dias.ie.

Did the earth move for you?
Two more mini-eartquakes hit Donegal
Published Date: 28 January 2010
By Connie Duffy
Did the earth move for you? That's the question Dr Tom Blake of the School of Cosmic Physics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) want to know from people who may have experienced yet another mini-earthquake which occurred in the county this week.
Moderate tremors measuring 1.5 and 1.7 on the Richter scale stuck Donegal on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning of this week.
The first happened around 8.50pm on Tuesday night, with the epicentre located in an area called Clonmore, south of Buncrana stretching between the south of the Inishowen peninsula and Letterkenny. According to witnesses it sounded like a low flying jet following by vibrations. The second occurred at approximately 7.50am on Wednesday morning and appears to have affected the same areas.

According to Dr Blake all the children at St Egney's N.S., Desertegney, Buncrana felt the tremor. They are actually one of the schools that hosts seismometer for the DIAS as part of the Seismology in Schools Programme.

"These are normal events that can happen from time to time but not suspicious or dangerous. Not everyone felt this week's tremors but if they did the Institute would be indebted if they would contact us via our website dias.ie and fill in our questionnaire about the incident. It's very important that we get this information to know the full extent where it was felt in Donegal to help us with our studies."
He added there were similar tremors in the 1980s and 1990s.
donegaldemocrat.ie/donegalnews/Did-the-earth-move-for.6023224.jp

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Earthquakes in Donegal and Ireland.