Village hit by quake

Jun 24 2009 by Copy Taker, Stirling Observer Wednesday

AN EARTHQUAKE struck the Stirling area – but few people would have felt it.

The 1.6 magnitude quake occurred just outside Buchlyvie on Sunday, June 14, at 10.07am.

And it was recorded on equipment installed at Stirling High School only days earlier.

The school seismometer is designed to pick up earthquakes from around the world but can also respond to smaller, local events. It was provided through the British Geological Survey (BGS) and the University of Edinburgh.

it will be used mainly for geography and physics lessons and enables pupils to develop the skills needed to run an ongoing scientific experiment.

The seismic station is part of a worldwide network of school seismometers. Pupils will be able to record, analyse and exchange earthquake data with schools globally.

A spokesperson for the school said: “From now on if the Earth moves Stirling High School will know about it.”

The BGS said the June 14 quake struck at a depth of 3.2km and the epicentre was west of Buchlyvie, between the village and Kepculloch Toll.

It said quakes and tremors have to hit about three on the European Macrocosmic Scale to even be felt. A 1.6 magnitude earthquake falls between not being felt and only feeling a minor vibration.