There are plenty of cases in human his tory where this most terrifying of natural phenomena has caused death and devastation on a huge scale.
This week’s quake under the hills beside Loch Fyne, however, caused nothing more than a bit of a shoogle and a rumble. There was not – as far as we can tell – any damage.
Our posting on the Argyllshire Advertiser Facebook page went somewhat viral overnight, with plenty of people talking about their experiences of the quake. Then there were the wags offering alternative theories as to the cause – from too much hot sauce on a takeaway to an excessive intake of Brussels sprouts, leading to unfortunate seismic outcomes. A couple of folk cheekily suggested that a member of staff here at the paper might have dropped his wallet. That seems unlikely, but is still more plausible than him opening it.