This West-East distribution shows the movement over an eight year period from 1992 - 2000. Red implies the land moved westwards whilst blue shows an eastwards shift . If a magnitude 5 earthquake hit, the shaking would be similar to standing on a platform between two passing trains

Fault Lines Discovered in London. An Earthquake Overdue According to Researchers.

Scientists discovered two fault lines under London that could trigger an earthquake

Two major fault lines in London

The feng shui of London is very good. However, in 2018, researchers at Imperial College London found two fault lines running under London that could potentially cause a magnitude 5 earthquake. These fault lines move between 1mm and 2mm every year. The faults run directly under central London and under Canary Wharf. The researchers were using Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PSInSAR) and believe that London is overdue for a quake but suggest that there is a one-in-a-thousand-year chance of a tremor. “The faults were initially inferred from geomorphology – drainage patterns, etc. – [along with] borehole records, and site visits,” Ghail told IFLScience. He noted, though, that they “detected their motion using satellite Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) radar data,” a technique that tracks even small changes in displacement over time.

The last large earthquake in London happened on the 6th of April 1580, and it had a comparably large magnitude 5.5. A magnitude 5 earthquake is comparable to shaking, similar to standing on a platform between two passing trains. However, a magnitude 6 earthquake could cause damage to buildings. New buildings in London will be made so they can withstand a quake registering 6.5 on the Richter Scale. Dr Ghail, a researcher at Imperial College London, said the greatest risk to Londoners is not the earthquake itself but the knock-on effects.

 

This West-East distribution shows the movement over an eight year period from 1992 - 2000. Red implies the land moved westwards whilst blue shows an eastwards shift . If a magnitude 5 earthquake hit, the shaking would be similar to standing on a platform between two passing trains

This West-East distribution shows the movement over an eight-year period from 1992 – 2000. Red implies the land moved westwards, whilst blue shows an eastward shift. If a magnitude 5 earthquake hit, the shaking would be similar to standing on a platform between two passing trains.

Geopathic stress and fault lines

Research in geopathics and geobiology suggests that geopathic stress can be caused by fault lines. Traditionally, in many cultures, people tried to avoid building or living over fault lines for obvious reasons. Having said that, some of the most famous sacred places and temples are built over fault lines because people believe that the energy released through fault lines and quakes could be beneficial but in small doses, according to the hormesis theory. Igor V Florinsky (2010) looked at 104 monasteries and almost all of them were located along fault lines and intersections of them. Another researcher Farmaki (2013), identified that the majority of the temples in Greece were on fault lines or near one. Lydia Giannoulopoulou, who did her PhD on this subject, suggests that “most basic characteristic of ancient monuments and temples is the concentration of natural geomagnetic and electric fluctuations.” The theory of hormesis states that the same external agent can cause low-dose stimulation and high-dose suppression on living organisms; hence a bit of geopathic stress can be beneficial, but too much over a long time can be harmful. Learn more about geopathic stress

This image shows ground movement in London between October and December 2005 with known faults shown by the black lines

This image shows ground movement in London between October and December 2005, with known faults shown by the black lines.

London earthquake risk. Where are the fault lines in London? 

In geology, a fault line is a crack or discontinuity in the Earth’s surface, along which movement and displacement that take place there. The energy released by the movement on the active fault lines is what causes most earthquakes. Faults don’t usually consist of a single fracture, so the term ‘fault zone’ refers to the area where deformation is correlated with the fault plane. In many parts of the world, it is prohibited to build near faults (California, Japan), where earthquakes are a regular hazard and can damage the infrastructure and lead to injuries and death. The researchers at Imperial College London revealed that the subterranean fault lines shift between 1 and 2 mm every year. Dr Ghail, a civil engineering specialist at Imperial College, talking about the chances of a magnitude five earthquake, said it’s ““enough to be scary but not fundamentally a problem”.

London’s two major fault lines go through central London and under Canary Wharf.

London faults lines and a possible earthquake

London fault lines and possible earthquake areas: central London and under Canary Wharf

Earthquakes in the UK

The UK is not known for earthquakes, but the British Geological Survey (BGS) reminds us that they do occur – hundreds of small ones take place each year, but mainly on the western side of the British mainland. The largest occurred in 1931, some distance offshore, registering as a 6.1M tremor.

Earthquakes in the UK, from 1956 to now, at varying magnitudes. BGS

In the week of 27-30 June 2018, there were two earthquakes of a magnitude of 2.4 and 2.6 in Surrey for the first time in 40 years. There is a “constant stream” of small earthquakes all over the UK on regular bases, says Richard Luckett, a BGS seismologist. There are concerns that fracking can cause the quakes, and Mr Luckett said, “It is plausible, as fracking can cause earthquakes.”

“Prevention is better than cure.”
Educate yourself if your home or workplace is on a fault line. The full list of geological faults in England. For people living outside the UK, check your local lists of fault lines.

A map showing where earthquakes have occurred in the UK and the size of each one ( Image: Wales Online)

Earthquakes and volcanos in the world

Other countries have more seismic activity as well as volcanic activity. For example, Iceland is a very volcanic country, and earthquakes accompany volcanic eruptions. When I visited the country as a feng shui consultant and environmental psychologist to evaluate feng shui of Reykjavik and Iceland, researchers were very clear that there would be more volcanic activity there because the glaciers are melting, and this activates the volcanos.

Posted in Geopathic stress, London feng shui.