A small earthquake was recorded in the Irish Sea off the coast of Dublin on Thursday morning.

The magnitude 1 tremor occurred at 8.46am at a depth of 14 kilometres, according to the British Geological Survey.

While often surprising, minor earthquakes are relatively common in Britain and Ireland, though they are usually too small to cause damage. The tremors are caused by movements in the Earth’s crust, which is always adjusting to stresses built up over time. Most are imperceptible to people, with only a few being felt as a light shake or rumble.

Earthquakes in the Irish Sea are occasionally detected, particularly in the areas offshore Wexford and near Skerries in Dublin. The last recorded Irish Sea quake, on May 22, measured 1.5 magnitude.

A 1.4 magnitude quake was also recorded in March in The Celtic Sea, approximately 95 kilometres southeast of Rosslare in County Wexford.

The largest magnitude event recorded in the Irish Sea in recent times was a 2.5 magnitude earthquake, which occurred on December 15, 2019.

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake in July 1984 was the largest ever recorded on mainland Britain, specifically, on the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales. It was felt throughout Ireland’s east coast, as well as in Wales and England.