Residents in the Scottish Highlands were jolted awake early Tuesday morning by a magnitude 2.5 earthquake, the strongest in the region in over two years. The tremor struck at 3:09am on July 28, with an epicenter near Spean Bridge at a depth of 5 kilometers (3.1 miles).
Widespread Reports Across the Highlands
The British Geological Survey (BGS) received multiple reports from towns including Fort William, Inverlair, Roybridge, and surrounding villages. The earthquake was felt approximately 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) from its epicenter.
Seismologist Comments
Davie Galloway, a BGS earthquake seismologist, confirmed this was the largest event within 20 kilometers since a magnitude 2.7 earthquake near Fort William on April 22, 2023. He noted that historically, the largest nearby earthquake was a magnitude 4.5 event in West Scotland on April 23, 1817, felt across much of Scotland.
Residents Describe the Experience
One resident reported that a “deep rumble of about five seconds woke my husband and I.” Another said they were “woken from sleep to rattling in room from crystals rolling in a tray.” Someone else described the earthquake as feeling “like a small explosion underground.” A person in Fort William told the BGS: “I’m on the fourth floor of a concrete building and I was woken up by a deep, loud rumble.”
