1990 Bishop's Castle earthquake
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| Date | 2 April 1990 |
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| Origin time | 13:46 UTC |
| Magnitude | 5.1 ML |
| Depth | 14.1 km (8.8 mi) |
| Epicenter | 52°26′N 3°02′W / 52.43°N 3.03°WCoordinates: 52°26′N 3°02′W / 52.43°N 3.03°W |
| Areas affected | United Kingdom |
| Max. intensity | 6 EMS - Slightly damaging |
| Casualties | None |
The 1990 Bishop's Castle earthquake occurred near the town of Bishop's Castle, Shropshire, England on 2 April.
On 2 April 1990, a powerful earth tremor was felt across much of England and Wales at 13:46 34.2s UTC. Early news reports in the immediate aftermath speculatively attributed the epicentre to places as far apart as Nottingham and a valley in the east of Wales and then settled on Wrexham, before geologists finally concluded that it had in fact been in the vicinity of the small town of Clun near the town of Bishop's Castle, Shropshire.
Bishops Castle lies atop an ancient geological fault line - the Pontesford-Linley fault. A sudden movement in the fault sent shock waves through the rock. The local rocks are predominantly Jurassic Middle Lias.
The magnitude of the earthquake was originally measured as being between 4.9 and 5.4 on the Richter scale. Its final estimated magnitude was 5.1, which meant that it was the strongest earthquake to have struck the UK since the 1984 Llŷn Peninsula earthquake.
The earthquake was felt by people as far away as the east of the Republic of Ireland to the west, the city of Newcastle upon Tyne to the north-east, the county of Kent to the south-east, and the county of Cornwall to the south-west.
In Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, which lies some miles to the north-east of Bishop's Castle, there was damage to masonry, with a number of chimney stacks being broken off from roofs and collapsing partially or completely into gardens and streets. Some others were knocked askew. Several of the worst affected buildings, including shops, were evacuated. Police cordons were put up around houses at risk of chimney-collapse until they had been made safe, with at least fifty properties in the town reported as requiring emergency attention within the twenty-four hours immediately following the event, while others requiring less urgent treatment were tended to on subsequent days.
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