Overview
- British Geological Survey data show 309 earthquakes recorded up to December 18, making 2025 an above-average year for UK seismic activity.
- The year’s two largest onshore quakes struck hours apart on October 20 near Loch Lyon in Perth and Kinross at magnitudes 3.7 and 3.6, with 34 events clustered there from October to December.
- A magnitude-3.2 quake near Silverdale, Lancashire, on December 3 was England’s largest in 2025 and generated about 700 felt reports, with further tremors confirmed on December 4, 19 and 29.
- Mapped hotspots included Perthshire and the western Highlands in Scotland, southern parts of Wales, and the English counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire.
- Monitoring relies on roughly 80 BGS stations and 1,320 public felt reports, and the agency notes magnitude-4 events typically occur every three to four years with magnitude-5s only every few decades.