Earthquake felt in Scottish village on Christmas Eve

Residents described being woken by a “loud bang” in the early hours of Sunday.

Residents of a Scottish village experienced a small earthquake in the early hours of Christmas Eve.

The magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded just outside Kilmelford in Argyll and Bute around 5.16am on Sunday.

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Residents of Kilmelford in Argyll and Bute reported being woken by a "loud bang" in the early hours of Christmas Eve. PIC: Richard Webb/geograph.org.placeholder image
Residents of Kilmelford in Argyll and Bute reported being woken by a "loud bang" in the early hours of Christmas Eve. PIC: Richard Webb/geograph.org.

Residents of the village, which sits around 16 miles south of Oban, described the moment the earthquake struck with some believing it was a military jet and others experiencing a "a loud, low rumble like a heavy vehicle passing" and a "loud bang that woke me up", according to a report on BGS website.

It was also felt in Lochgilphead and on the islands of Mull and Lismore.

A number of small earthquakes have been documented across Scotland this month. A 1.5 magnitude quake was recorded in Morvern, Highland, on December 15 with the village experiencing four further tremors during the month.

In Islay in the Inner Hebrides, a 1.6 magnitude quake was recorded on December 11.

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