Earthquake hits Wales with 'rumble' and 'roar' and is felt over wide area

An earthquake that woke people in Snowdonia last week wasn't caused by the recent supermoon high tides in North Wales, experts have said. The tremor, which had a magnitude of 1.5, was felt in places in Gwynedd and Anglesey.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the quake started deep underground near Foel Grach in the Carneddau mountains. People living within a 15.5 mile radius of the quake, including in Tregarth, Llanberis, Cym-Y-Glo, Talysarn, Rhostryfan in Gwynedd, and Pentraeth on Anglesey, reported feeling it. Bethesda, Gwynedd, was the closest community affected.

Most people were asleep when the earthquake started at 12.48am on Thursday, February 8. It lasted for about an hour but the strongest tremors only continued for a few seconds. Some people described it as a "roar like a strong wind" while others said it was "just a rumble for a few seconds". One person even said their open wardrobe door moved. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.

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Aftershocks were reportedly felt as far away as 40km in Cynwyd, Denbighshire, the next morning, reports North Wales Live. This was the first earthquake recorded in North Wales this year and the third in the country in 2024: smaller tremors were recorded near Llangynog, Carmarthenshire, on January 25 (1.2 magnitude) and Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on January 13 (0.5 magnitude).

Last year, the first earthquake in Wales wasn't felt until February 4 when a minor shake of 0.9 magnitude hit Llwynmawr in Ceiriog Valley, Wrexham. Shortly after, Holywell, Flintshire, experienced a 1.0 magnitude tremor on February 28.

In trying to explain the recent quake in Bethesda, some pointed towards the lunar cycle. "A new moon often intensifies seismic activity," stated a lady on social media, adding, "but there was a super new moon, which can be considered as new moon on steroids, so don't be surprised to see further seismic occurrences." Try WalesOnline Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features

The first super new moon of this year happened on February 9, less than 24 hours after the ominous tremors in Bethesda. During these phases, the moon is closest to our planet and its gravitational pull has an even stronger effect on our oceans, causing unusually high tides known as 'king tides', or officially as proxigean tides.

There was a king tide across North Wales this week, resulting in flood alerts for northern coastal communities and for the Gwynedd coast too. While the idea that lunar activity and high tides can cause earthquakes has been around for more than a hundred years, grasping a clear link is still tricky. The moon does indeed pull and stretch the Earth, but this alone isn't thought to trigger quakes.

Sea tides also affect the Earth's crust as the ocean levels fluctuate. However, this impact is thought to be minor compared to the forces caused by the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates. The British Geological Survey (BGS) shared: "In terms of the supermoon theory, the moon's gravitational pull at lunar perigee is not different enough from its pull at other times to significantly change the height of the tides and thus the likelihood of earthquakes."

Wales' largest tremors in 2023 happened near Pontardawe in Neath Port Talbot on August 18 (2.3 magnitude), and near the Pen Llyn village of Capel Carmel, Gwynedd, on December 20 (1.9 magnitude). None of these took place near a supermoon, the closest being the Harvest Moon on September 28. Actually, no earthquakes occurred in Wales in January, 2023, when the moon was at its closest to Earth for 992 years.

Three supermoons are expected in 2024, with the next one happening on March 10, followed by another on April 8. Both occasions will see the moon closer to the Earth than it was on February 9.