'Highly unusual': Mini-earthquake detected in West Cork on Tuesday
A mini-earthquake was detected in Cork in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to the Irish National Seismic Network (INSN).
The quake, which had a magnitude of 1.6 on the Richter scale, is listed as having occurred at around 5.50am in the Bandon area.
The epicentre for the mini quake was at a site at latitude 51.79, longitude -8.69: between Bandon and Crossbarry, not far from the grounds of Valley Rovers GAA club. The quake occurred at a depth of 1km, the INSN said.
Earthquakes which register below around 2.5 on the Richter Scale are not usually felt, but are picked up by seismographs.
Multiple reports on social media showed residents in the vicinity of Crossbarry and Innishannon saying they felt some minor vibrations in their area.
INSN seismic network analyst technical officer James Grannell said it was highly unusual to get earthquakes in Co Cork. Most earthquakes reported in the country are recorded in Donegal and Wexford.
Mr Grannell said the last time Cork felt an earthquake was in 2013.
"Felt earthquakes rarely occur in Cork," Mr Grannell said.
"The previous felt earthquake from this region was magnitude M2.2 occurring in December 2013 near Courtmacsherry. Since instrumental recording began with the foundation of the INSN in 1977, the only other felt earthquake was a M2.1 near Midleton in Nov 1981."
Though the mini-quake measured just 1.6 on the Richter scale, it is still the strongest of the most recent quakes detected in Ireland by the INSN. Only six of the last 50 such seismic events detected by the INSN registered a magnitude of above 1.6.
Of these six, just two took place on mainland Ireland; the remaining four took place over water at locations in the Rockall Trough, Rockall Plateau, the Goban Spur, and the Celtic Sea, respectively.
On May 6, 2023, a quake with a magnitude of 2.5, and a depth of 10km, was recorded at a location near Glenveagh National Park in Co Donegal. On September 4 of this year, a 1.9 magnitude quake occurred near Gorey in Co Wexford.
Another mini-quake with a magnitude of 2.2 was detected by the INSN on October 1, but this event took place in the North Channel, just to the south of the Scottish Inner Hebrides Island of Islay.
On its website, the INSN has a questionnaire which members of the public can fill out if they feel an event, which in turn helps the INSN build up an understanding of felt intensities of earthquakes around Ireland.
The questionnaire can be completed here.
