Mini earthquake recorded off coast of Ireland in the middle of the night

Wake and quake.

The seismic activity hit off the coast of Culdaff Bay off the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal at approximately 2.18am.

The quake measured at 0.9 on the Richter scale, which is not felt by humans, however it does appear on seismographs.

Seismometer equipment at St Columba’s College in Stranorlar recorded the activity.

The findings were shared online by Physics teacher Brendan O'Donoghue, who takes part in the worldwide Seismology in Schools project.

Small earthquake recorded off coast of Ireland in the middle of the night

Donegal has been a hotbed for seismic activity over the last few years, with two earthquakes striking the county within three weeks of each other in 2019.

The first, at 11.58pm on April 7, was of magnitude 2.4 with an epicentre in Donegal Bay, while the second, at 9.18pm on April 29th, was magnitude 2.1 and hit inland.

A 2.5 magnitude quake was also felt in the county last year, at a depth of approximately 5km near Glenveagh National Park.

As well as Donegal, Wexford and the Irish Sea are seen as the other two earthquake hotspots of Ireland.

In June 2012, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake hit off the west coast of Ireland caused strong tremors felt by people in Mayo, Galway and Sligo.

This was the second largest recorded earthquake in Ireland, after a 1984 event where a magnitude 5.4 occurred in the Irish Sea.