Earthquake confirmed near Porthmadog after reports of 'rumbling' sound by locals

One household said the noise was similar to that of a "distant military jet".

An earthquake has been recorded in north Wales after reports of a "rumbling" sound was heard by locals.

The quake occurred near Porthmadog in Gwynedd shortly before 8:30am on Sunday (September 18).

The British Geological Survey (BGS), the UK’s national earthquake monitoring agency, confirmed it was a 1.5 magnitude on the Richter scale and felt at a depth of 7km.

One household in Cwm-y-Glo described hearing a "faint rumbling like a distant military jet" and were able to feel the tremor "through bare feet on a concrete floor".

The earthquake recorded a magnitude of 1.5 near Porthmadog in Gwynedd.

Earthquakes of this size usually go unnoticed with millions occurring each year across the globe.

The last reported quake in the region was on Anglesey on August 24, with a magnitude of 0.6.

Elsewhere in Snowdonia, a "big rumble sound" was heard by communities in the Conwy Valley and beyond following a 1 magnitude earthquake in October 2021.

According to the BGS, a quake at 2.5 or lower on the Richter scale is considered to be a “micro-earthquake” which are relatively common in the UK.

The biggest one to hit north Wales happened in July 1984 near Gwynedd. It lasted 12 seconds, measured at 5.4 magnitude and was declared the largest onshore earthquake for the UK in the 20th Century.

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