A moderate earthquake struck parts of southeast England on 28 April 2007,
toppling chimneys from houses and rousing residents from their beds. Several
thousand people were left without power in Kent County. One woman suffered minor
head and neck injuries. "It felt as if the whole house was
being slid across like a fun-fair ride," said the woman. The
British Geological Survey said the 4.3-magnitude quake struck at 8:19 a.m. and
was centered under the English Channel, about 8.5 miles south of Dover and near
the entrance to the Channel Tunnel. Witnesses said cracks
appeared in walls and chimneys collapsed across the county. Residents said the
tremor had lasted for about 10 to 15 seconds. "I was lying in
bed and it felt as if someone had just got up from bed next to me," said
Hendrick van Eck, 27, of Canterbury about 60 miles southeast of London. "I then
heard the sound of cracking, and it was getting heavier and heavier. It felt as
if someone was at the end of my bed hopping up and down." There
are thousands of moderate quakes on this scale around the world each year, but
they are rare in Britain. The April 28 quake was the strongest in Britain since
2002 when a 4.8-magnitude quake struck the central England city of
Birmingham. The country's strongest earthquake took place in
the North Sea in 1931, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale. British Geological
Survey scientist Roger Musson said the quake took place on 28 April in an area
that had seen several of the biggest earthquakes ever to strike Britain,
including one in 1580 that caused damage in London and was felt in France.
Musson predicted that it was only a matter of time before another earthquake
struck this part of England. However, people should not be scared too much by
this prediction, Musson said, as the modern earthquake warning system of Britain
should be able to detect a forthcoming quake and announce it several hours
before it takes place. This would allow time for people to evacuate and reduce
damage to the minimum.
单选题
During the April 28 earthquake, the whole England was left without
power.