One of the largest earth tremors to his the region in 20 years was felt by thousands across Cheshire and Shropshire today.
The earthquake hit the Wem area of Shropshire just after 3.30pm and was initially given as a magnitude 4.2.
This was downgraded to 3.8 event by the British Geological Survey, and at a depth of between 8-10km below the surface.
It is reported, by volcanodiscovery.com, to be the largest quake in the area for around 20 years.
And it would rank among the 10-20 largest quakes in England for a century.
The last comparable events happened 20 years ago as a magnitude 4.8 quake near Dudley in September 2002 and a 4.3 event near Manchester in October the same year.
Thousands took to social media to say they felt it as homes, offices and commercial buildings shook.
One said it was felt by staff in Leighton Hospital in Crewe.
It was also reported as a 4.2 by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), considered one of the key international agencies that monitor seismic activity worldwide.
“The shaking was short, but clearly noticeable in tens of kilometers from the epicenter near Telford, and was accompanied by a rumbling sound,” said volcanodiscovery.com.
In the area immediately around the epicenter, weak to moderate shaking occurred.
Weak shaking was felt in Shrewsbury, 16km from the epicenter, and Nantwich and Crewe 30 km away.
It was also felt in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent and Chester.
Very weak shaking was reported from areas up to 100 km away, including Birmingham.
Felt in Weaverham very weakly at 1537 – startlement recorded on a conf call.