| 2012 Bristol Channel earthquake | |
|---|---|
|
Date: |
3:17 PM GMT; August 10, 2012 |
|
Magnitude: |
7.3 (Richter scale) |
|
Depth: |
5.6 miles (9.01 km) |
|
Epicenter: |
51° 29' N, 4° 39' W |
|
Countries/Regions affected: |
|
|
Intensity: |
MM VIII |
|
Casualties: |
20,097 |
|
Tsunami: |
Yes (67 feet) |
The 2012 Bristol Channel earthquake was an offshore 7.3 earthquake that occurred at 3:17 PM GMT on August 10, 2012, epicentered twenty-two miles north of the island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel of Great Britain. Offshore fault displacement generated a tidal wave that reached as high as 67 feet in Swansea and Cardiff, and 29 feet in Newport, though it reached as far inland as Gloucester at 9.3 feet, as the wave was channeled up the Severn River, and Bristol at 10 feet, after the wave was channeled through the Avon Gorge.
History
Effects
The wave struck twenty-seven minutes after the initial tremor, due to major displacement of the seabed in the central Irish Sea from the submarine nature of the quake and its associated fault system. Mainly owing to the wave's nature of striking major Welsh and English cities, over 20,000 died in total. In respect to the victims, and due to minor damage in the London area, the 2012 Summer Olympics were suspended for several weeks.