Rare earthquake creates alarm in southern England

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070428/wl_uk_afp/britainquake;_ylt=AhDkBw5dUoG0ZMn4TlCF_IrMWM0F

Rare earthquake creates alarm in southern England

Sat Apr 28, 11:52 AM ET

LONDON (AFP) - A rare earthquake shook households in southeast England on Saturday, toppling chimneys, causing power cuts and alarming residents, authorities said.

The tremor, which the British Geological Survey (BGS) said hit 4.3 on the Richter scale, struck just after 8:15 am (0715 GMT) but left one woman suffering a minor head and neck injury which required hospital treatment.

"Given the time that this has happened, people should be genuinely thankful that so few people have been injured," Chief Superintendent Alasdair Hope of Kent Police said.

The quake -- whose epicentre was identified by the BGS as being 7.5 miles (12 kilometres) off the coast of Dover, in the English Channel -- was the largest to hit Britain since one in the West Midlands in 2002.

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driving through the Chunnel at that hour felt. It must've been a thrill a minute.

yikes..

Driving in the Channel Tunnel is a dangerous experience at any time. The ride quality on those sleepers is awful, and those rails really cause you problems when you want to pull over.

It must have affected the surface of the surrounding water as well (not that it would cause a tsunami type of action, but it must have generated some rough surf).

Floods, droughts, earthquakes, heat waves.. what's next?? locusts? Where are the Pythons when you need them?