Earthquake strikes Scotland as residents say it was like 'a giant walking past our van'

The Volcano Discovery website, which also collects information on earthquakes, has received dozens of reports from residents and travellers who were in the area at the time .

One report reads: "I live in a static caravan and experienced up and down movement, it was like a giant walking past our van."

Another says: "I was in bed and felt my bed roll and shake for one second, and my wardrobe doors were vibrating.

"It felt like a fast train going past but there was no train or lorry."

The BGS says it detects between 200 and 300 earthquakes each year in the UK, with only 20-30 strong enough to be felt by the public.

The remainder are so small they are only recorded by specialist sensitive instruments.

Davie Galloway, seismologist at the BGS, said: "On Monday 20 October at 08.25 BST (07.25 UTC), there was a magnitude 3.3 ML earthquake near Pubil, Perth and Kinross, Scotland.

"It was reported felt in Aberfeldy, Killin, Pitlochry, Tyndrum and several other places, mainly from within around 60km of the epicentre.

"Reports described, ‘we thought a large lorry had crashed’, ‘loud rumbling noise’, ‘a prolonged low rumble’ and ‘the house shook and the windows rattled’.

"If you live in the area, even if you didn’t feel the event, please consider filling out our felt report, which helps us understand more about the event."

The British Geological Survey registers between 200 and 300 earthquakes annually across the UK, though merely 20 to 30 generate sufficient intensity for public detection.

Scotland alone has recorded over 4,000 seismic events during the past five decades, yet few have significantly affected communities.

Seismologist Davie Galloway from the BGS confirmed the morning's events, noting that reports arrived from locations primarily within 60 kilometres of the epicentre.

The survey continues gathering data through public submissions to better understand the occurrence.

Scotland's seismic activity stems primarily from glacial rebound - a geological process initiated when massive ice sheets that covered northern Britain until approximately 10,500 years ago melted away.

The compressed rock beneath continues its gradual ascent, occasionally triggering earthquakes.

Additional tectonic pressures from Atlantic Ocean expansion and Africa's northward movement contribute to Britain's seismic profile.