Residents along the Lancashire coast were abruptly awakened in the early hours of Friday morning as a noticeable earthquake shook the region. The tremor, which struck just after 5 am, marks the second such event to hit the area within a fortnight.
Seismic Details of the Silverdale Quake
The British Geological Survey (BGS) confirmed the seismic event was a 2.5 magnitude earthquake. It occurred at 05:03 UTC on 19 December 2025, with an epicentre located off the coast of Silverdale, Lancashire. The quake originated at a shallow depth of approximately 2.6 kilometres beneath the Earth's surface.
According to the BGS's preliminary report, the tremor was felt by multiple households across the Morecambe Bay area. Residents described the experience as a "quick sharp shaking jolt" accompanied by a noise resembling thunder. The force was sufficient to cause interior fittings, including radiators and pictures, to rattle noticeably.
Community Reaction and Social Media Response
The unexpected event prompted an immediate reaction on social media, as locals sought confirmation they weren't imagining things. One resident, Pamela Lloyd, posted: "Anyone else feel another two small earthquakes? One about 5.04 and another about 5.08? Woke me up but everyone else is still."
Others shared similar accounts. "Yep. Wasn't 'as' loud and didn't shake 'as' much but it woke me from been semi asleep ... One was strange but two in two weeks," wrote another. Frida Yapp reported: "Yes woke me up by a loud boom & the bedroom window shook came from Silverdale direction." John Aukland noted a "Huge bang. Then a smaller one a couple of minutes later."
The sense of surprise was summed up by Victoria Sedgwick, who stated: "Another Earthquake, just after 5 am this morning, thought I was going mad. I googled and even Chat GPT."
A Recent Pattern of Seismic Activity
This latest tremor follows a stronger earthquake earlier in the month, indicating a period of heightened activity for the region. On 4 December 2025 at 11.23 pm, a 3.3 magnitude quake struck a similar part of Lancashire.
That earlier event was felt across a wider area, including the South Lakes and Lancashire, primarily within a 20-kilometre radius of the epicentre. Locations such as Kendal and Ulverston reported feeling the shaking. Experts from the BGS continue to monitor the situation closely, analysing data from these consecutive events.
While earthquakes of this magnitude are rarely dangerous, they serve as a reminder of the UK's occasional seismic activity. The BGS provides real-time information and encourages the public to report any felt tremors via their official channels.
