The series of 34 small earthquakes between April 2018 and May 2019 occurred within 10 km of two active oil extraction sites at Brockham and Horse Hill in Surrey.
The series of 34 small earthquakes between April 2018 and May 2019 occurred within 10 km of two active oil extraction sites at Brockham and Horse Hill in Surrey.
Many residents of Newdigate, Dorking, Horley and Charlwood in Surrey, and Crawley and Horsham in West Sussex, felt the largest quake, which reached a magnitude of 3.2.
As the British Isles don’t lie along boundaries separating two tectonic plates, earthquakes that are felt by people are relatively rare - so there was concern that the swarm was triggered by nearby drilling and extraction.
Now, the first in-depth study of the quakes by Imperial, the University of Bristol, and the British Geological Survey (BGS), has shown no direct link between oil extraction and earthquakes in the region.
Read more at Imperial College London
