The latest earthquake to hit Japan has been felt on the west coast of Ireland, with tremors recorded on a recently installed seismometer at the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare.
Yesterday’s 6.8 magnitude earthquake near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, was picked up by the seismometer approximately 10 minutes after it struck at 9.08am local time.
A 1.1 magnitude event, which occurred in Donegal on Tuesday night, was also detected at the Cliffs of Moher.
Director of the Irish National Seismic Network (INSN) Tom Blake said: “Although Ireland does not sit on any major plate margin, it is still susceptible to earthquakes as we saw in Donegal this year and in Clare in May 2010.”
The 2.7-magnitude tremor was recorded near Lisdoonvarna, and remains the strongest onshore earthquake recorded in Ireland since records began in 1978.
The state-of-the-art seismometer is the first of its kind to be installed in Co Clare.
It is funded by the Geological Survey of Ireland, and is part of the Outreach Programme for Seismology in Schools run by the INSN.