April 2, 1990 Earthquake: Manchester, Liverpool, United Kingdom
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck Manchester, Liverpool, United Kingdom on April 2, 1990 at 13:46:31 UTC, 18 km below the surface.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- April 2, 1990
- Time
- 13:46:31 UTC
- Place
- Manchester, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Magnitude
- 4.7 (mb)
- Focal depth
- 18 km (11 mi)
- Intensity
- 6 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 52.314° N, 2.985° W
- Country
- United Kingdom
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses damaged
- Some (about 51 to 100)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1990, April 2. Damage (VI) in the Wrexham-Welshpool-Shrewsbury area. Some buildings damaged in Manchester and Liverpool. Felt throughout Wales, in eastern Ireland and in
England from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Kent and Cornwall. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1990The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1990Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 5228.