FOR a short time last week it was believed Fermanagh had been hit by an earthquake, with a tremor that hit in the Clabby area recording a magnitude of 1.6 on the Richter Scale.
However, it turned out the ‘quake’ wasn’t caused by any stress or friction in the earth’s crust, but rather was simply the result of a rather large blast at a nearby quarry.
The tremor, which was officially recorded as having hit Fivemiletown, was picked up on the seismometer at St Columba’s College in Stranorlar in Donegal, at 1.40pm last Thursday, August 15. The tremor was located about 2km west of Clabby village.
The ‘quake’ was recorded by the British Geological Survey (BGS), who urged anyone who may have experienced the tremor to report their experiences. The tremor remains recorded on the BGS website.
However, a number of hours later it was confirmed the earth had not moved in Fermanagh.
A statement issued by the team at St Columba’s stated, “Please be advised that this event has been classified as a quarry blast.”
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