Earthquakes in Britain are unusual to say the least, and in London even more so. In fact, an earthquake has not struck the capital since the 1700s.
But, researchers from Imperial College have discovered two faults, one running under central London and another below Canary Wharf, that could cause a magnitude five earthquake.
The UK’s Mirror reports that experts say the findings have overturned the traditional view that London is geological stable.
“It now looks a modestly active, very heavily faulted, complicated area,” explained Dr Richard Ghail, a specialist in civil and environmental engineering at the university.
“It’s probably gone from the simplest to most complex geology in the UK.”
Ghail added that the likelihood of an earthquake is “enough to be scary but not fundamentally a problem,” saying that there is also a slim chance of magnitude six earthquake, which could cause structural damage.
The two faults are moving at a rate of 1 or 2mm a year… which some have joked is still faster than the current May’s government movements away from mainland Europe.
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