PORTSMOUTH, England, July 14 (UPI) -- Seismologists say an earthquake that struck in the English Channel south of England was the biggest in the area for nearly 300 years.
The magnitude-3.9 temblor hit in the channel south of Portsmouth early Thursday at a depth of about 6 miles, the BBC reported.
Residents of West Sussex reported buildings shaking for a few seconds.
"This is the largest earthquake in this area since a magnitude 4.5 event in 1734," David Kerridge of the British Geological Survey said.
"Historically, there have been two other significant events nearby -- a magnitude 5 earthquake in 1878 and a magnitude 4.3 earthquake in 1750."
Small earthquakes are not uncommon in the British Isles, he said.
"In the United Kingdom, we experience an earthquake of this magnitude approximately every two years," he said.
