Have you ever experienced an earthquake or earth tremor?

[TheTecknician]

I appreciate that this may be a sensitive subject for some, given the often dangerous and destructive nature of seismic activity. Thankfully, my one and only exposure was on the mild side. I don't remember much about it except that it occurred one night in the last 25 years or so and it woke me up as my home shivered and trembled for a few seconds. I think the epicentre might have been in Lincolnshire. That's all!

Several times, I live in a seismic area with small earthquakes every day. Most are very weak and not felt, but occasionally they’re more significant and I’ve felt 3 or 4 in the last 20+ years

Yes! Two weeks ago in Crete. Was sitting by myself overlooking the sea and felt (and heard?) a rubbling. No-one reacted at all and everyone kept on playing etc but I saw the glass window in the hotel vibrating. I checked and sure enough it was an earthquake, “only” 3.8.

very surreal but I’m grateful for the internet to confirm as otherwise I’d have thought I was mad!

1984 5.4 north wales earthquake.

I’m guessing this was one of the ones I experienced. When was this ?

I lived in California for several years. Experienced my first earthquake within a few weeks. Thankfully never anything serious.

Was that the Market Rasen one? I was about 2 miles from the epicentre too and had exactly the same experience @OnlyOnAFriday I remember rushing to go downstairs and every step was shaking. There was a strange roaring noise too.

Second time was in Turkey in June of this year.

On holiday in California in 2019. Sitting outside on a rocking chair which suddenly started moving. I thought one of the dc had crept behind me and rocked it until I saw the water in the pool sloshing about. It was weird! Also experienced the aftershock while we were driving between Palm Springs and LA. The car just seemed to jump sideways slightly.

Yes but thankfully only small ones in Hawaii and Tokyo.

I remember the 2008 one when I was in Derby very clearly! My friends and I had just stepped into their front garden after we’d finished rehearsing A Midsummer Nights Dream and all the fences started rattling and all the car alarms went off. We shrieked and ran back into the doorframe.

This thread is an eye opener. I'm 49 and I've never experienced an earthquake, didn't know they happened in the UK!

Yes, a couple of times but not in the UK. The first time was my first holiday abroad without parents in Corfu. We had two tremors and the second was when we were in a basement nightclub and it sent us all running outside.

The second time, was last year in Naples. We had three tremors there. The birds squealed and I could hear dust and plaster falling down the wall outside of our AirBNB. Our guide the next day asked if we’d felt it.

Yes, in Portugal, bottom end of the Algarve. Was watching telly and the sofa came up under me like when you get on a chairlift. Christmas baubles circled for ages, had the water in my glass see saw. Thought that has to be an earthquake. Checked the internet and it was indeed a very low level one. Seems there are quite a lot there.

Lurvy, I’m surprised you say a 6 is moderate. That is considered a major event. I’m glad you were safe.

I’ve lived through many, being in Northern California, but will never forget the 1989 San Francisco one - 6.9, and utterly terrifying.

There has been a cluster of small ones recently, I tell myself it is the earth letting off steam, and not the precursor to the big one.

Grew up in So Cal. I've experienced 3 major quakes with aftershocks, and lots of little 'tremors'. You get used to the tremors, sort of "Did you feel that?" "Yeah".

The three major quakes were scary but luckily the epicenter was far enough that we sustained no damage or injuries.

If I had to live in a 'natural disaster prone area', I'll take the occasional earthquake over a tornadoes or hurricanes any day.

Dudley 2002, 4.8.

Woke me up and loads of stuff fell off walls and shelves,

Most exciting thing ever to happen in Dudley.

Yes. There was one in/near Yorkshire in September ish either 2002 or 2003 (I was at Sixth Form but not sure which year, but remember it was the first few weeks so of the new school year). Just a slight brief rumble in the night.

There was a minor earthquake in Kent in the 2000s. I was in bed at the time and the house shook but for some reason I thought for a moment it was DH closing the garage door (it was one of those big metal up and over ones)

I felt the south Wales on in 2018. I was home just outside Bath.
I thought someone had driven a car into the house .

Yes i felt the one last night too, it was apparently 4.9. Was pretty scary as I was home alone

A couple of mild ones in the uk but as a child we lived in Italy and experienced a quite substantial one whilst there. Buildings fell and people were killed. I think I was too young to understand the danger but was woken up by rumbling noises and the bedroom shaking a lot. People ran out of their houses screaming.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Irpinia_earthquake

A smallish one at 4.5 in Malawi, on a cliff overlooking the rift valley, very near the epicentre. It was as if everything tilted and then wobbled. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before and impossible to describe. Certainly not what I expected an earthquake to feel like.

I’ve been through a couple - strongest was 7.7. Sheltered under a desk in my office with two colleagues. All I could say was “my babies, my babies” thinking that I was going to die in my office under a pile of rubble.

As soon as it stopped we all mustered out and I went straight to the school (which I can see from my office), grabbed my kids and my friends kids (managed to get hold of them to say I had them) and legged it home. Whilst driving along the coast road the tsunami alert was issued (we live right on that road) and we put all the kids on the middle floor whilst we ran around filling water bottles/baths as the potable water would be shut off.

We rolled with the awful aftershocks, the strongest was 6.9 which sent half the water in the pool out.

I ended up suffering with earthquake sickness which is basically vomiting and vertigo every time an aftershock came and for weeks I’d randomly throw up.

I’ve been mugged at gunpoint, been in numerous life threatening situations but my god, I’ve never felt fear like I did through those minutes under my desk crying for my kids.

We’re in the caribbeans so hurricanes are a part of life and you can see them coming and prepare for them. But when the ground starts to shake there is nothing you can do but hold on and pray.

Small one in Cumbria late at night, 11-12pm around either 2010 or 2011

I remember that one! It woke me up! It was a bit scary as I didn’t know until the next morning what it was.

In Birmingham, would have been about 2008. The cats suddenly went mad and flew onto the top of the wardrobe which started shaking as did the bed that I was in at the time - I was blaming the cats until I realised my furniture didn't normally do that despite how mad the cats were!