UK experiences three earthquakes a year due to human activity, study says

New work is first in the world to set a national baseline and will detect any rise in earthquakes following an expansion of shale gas exploration in the future

At least three earthquakes strike the UK every year as the result of human activity, according to a new study.

Most of the tremors in recent decades resulted from coal mining, but fracking exploration caused two small earthquakes in 2011. The new work is the first in the world to set a national baseline and will allow the detection of any rise in earthquakes that follows an expansion of UK shale gas exploration in the future.