Earthquakes in United Kingdom through history
USGS recorded no earthquake of magnitude 6 or more in or off United Kingdom from 1900 to October 19, 2026. NOAA’s list of significant earthquakes has 14 in or off United Kingdom, back to AD 720.
The last 30 days · as of
USGS recorded no earthquake of magnitude 4.5 or more in the area the map frames in the last 30 days.
What the record holds
None reached magnitude 7: the strongest was a magnitude 6 on June 7, 1931 (Scarborough, Grimsby). The deadliest was not the strongest: an earthquake in AD 811 (Scotland: St Andrews), for which NOAA records 1,400 deaths. NOAA records deaths in 3 of the events here, 1,406 in all. The latest on NOAA’s list is a magnitude 4.8 on February 27, 2008 (England: Lincolnshire). NOAA’s record here begins in October 720 with an earthquake (Scotland: Hebrides). It grows thinner going back: 6 of the 14 significant earthquakes NOAA lists here are from 1927 on. NOAA lists 27 tsunamis that began in or off United Kingdom, and 2 from elsewhere that reached it with deaths or a metre of water or more. The highest water NOAA records here was 3.08 m, on November 1, 1755.
The events
- February 27, 2008Earthquake · M 4.8England: LincolnshireNOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
- September 22, 2002Earthquake · M 4.8Mansfield, DudleyNOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
- July 19, 1984Earthquake · M 4.7WalesNOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
- June 7, 1931Earthquake · M 6.0Scarborough, GrimsbyNOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
- November 1, 1755Tsunami · 3.08 m hereLisbonNOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
- April 6, 1580Earthquake · M 5.8 (est.)Dover StraitsNOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
- AD 811EarthquakeScotland: St Andrews · 1,400 deaths (NOAA)NOAA NCEI
- October 720EarthquakeScotland: HebridesNOAA NCEI
Good to know
- An event counts for United Kingdom when it began inside its borders, or at sea within 100 km of its coast (so one can count for two neighbours), or further out, up to 300 km, where United Kingdom is the nearest country.
- USGS counts here start at magnitude 6: the catalogue’s smaller quakes thin out going back, where few instruments listened.
- NOAA lists significant events only: earthquakes that killed, did about $1 million of damage, reached magnitude 7.5 or intensity X, or raised a tsunami, and eruptions and tsunamis by like measures. Magnitudes before 1900 are its estimates from written accounts.
- Deaths are NOAA’s total for each event, wherever people died, its tsunami and fires included. A tsunami counts the dead its runup records give for this place: NOAA’s total for a tsunami includes its source quake’s.
- A tsunami from elsewhere counts where one of its runups killed or rose a metre or more.
- The map frames the box around United Kingdom, its neighbours’ quakes included, so its count runs higher than this page’s.
- Counted to October 19, 2026, as is the map. The last 30 days ask USGS again.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Earthquakes, live, The world through history