Hundreds of homes near Eden Project in Cornwall are rocked by mini-earthquake caused by geothermal drilling site: Locals say 1.6 magnitude tremor sounded 'like a bomb going off' as energy firm halts operations

 Hundreds of homes near the Eden Project were last night rocked by a mini-earthquake caused by geothermal drilling.

Residents close to the Cornwall visitor attraction said it sounded 'like a bomb had gone off' before their houses shook. No major damage was reported following the 1.6 magnitute tremor but all operations at the geothermal drilling site have been temporarily suspended pending an investigation. 

The company, set up by the Eden Project to provide heat to the famous 'biome' greenhouses and local community, confirmed the explosion was down to them and apologised 'for any disturbance'. 

Eden Geothermal halted its operations using its well, nearly 3.3 miles into the Earth's core, until 'additional mitigation controls are put in place'.  

Residents from nearby towns like St Austell were furious and said it sounded 'like a bomb going off'. 

Residents just outside a Cornish town near the Eden Project, pictured, were left shaken and freaked out when their homes shook as if a bomb had just gone off... MILES into the Earth's...

The completion of Eden Geothermal's first geothermal well nearly 5km into the Earth's crust began in November 2021

The Eden Project's money has come from sources including the Government, the European Union, Cornwall Council and private investors

HOW ARE EARTHQUAKES MEASURED?

Earthquakes are detected by tracking the size, or magnitude, and intensity of the shock waves they produce, known as seismic waves.

The magnitude of an earthquake differs from its intensity.

The magnitude of an earthquake refers to the measurement of energy released where the earthquake originated.

Magnitude is calculated based on measurements on seismographs.

The intensity of an earthquake refers to how strong the shaking that is produced by the sensation is.

A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit the Channel Islands off the coast of southern California on Thursday at 10.30am

According to the United States Geological Survey , 'intensity is determined from the effects on people, human structures and the natural environment'.

Earthquakes originate below the surface of the earth in a region called the hypocenter.

During an earthquake, one part of a seismograph remains stationary and one part moves with the earth's surface.

The earthquake is then measured by the difference in the positions of the still and moving parts of the seismograph.

According to Cornwall Live, local resident Kayleigh Gooch said: 'Maybe you should've warned people. 

'You freaked a lot of us out. And that must've been very strong for our houses to rumble like they did.'

Jenny Cox was even less impressed, saying: 'It sounded like a bomb had gone off in Penwithick.' 

According to the British Geological Survey, seismic activity also due to the company occurred on 5 March and 23 January at Bodelva.

A statement from Eden Geothermal about last nights earthquake said: 'We are aware that a seismic event was felt and heard in the vicinity of the Eden Geothermal site shortly after 9.20pm this evening.

'An investigation and analysis of seismic monitoring data have confirmed that the event was linked to testing operations at Eden Geothermal. 

'No damage has been reported, and the event was within regulatory limits, but in order to minimise the likelihood of further disturbance, we have halted operations while additional mitigation controls are put in place.

'We apologise for any disturbance that has been caused.' 

The Eden Project announced in 2019  that it will build a machine to send water almost three miles underground, where it will be 'superheated' by the Earth's molten core and come back boiling hot.

This hot water would then be used to heat the greenhouses, generate electricity to power the other buildings and eventually the homes in the local community.   

The completion of its first geothermal well nearly 5km into the Earth's crust began in November 2021. 

As the longest geothermal well in the UK, it's vertical depth is 4,871 m, just over three miles, and its measured depth – the actual length of the well – is 5,277 metres nearly 3.3 miles. 

Testing, injection and production, have been carried out since January.

After this is completed, it hopes to connect a heat exchanger to a heat main and link this to the Eden Project to supply it with renewable heat.

Then the next big chapter will be to drill a second well on the site, close to the first and to a similar depth. 

Once complete, the two-well Eden Geothermal project has the potential to supply renewable heat to Eden and neighbouring industries equivalent to the heat used by more than 35,000 homes, or renewable electricity to that consumed by around 14,000 homes. 

Eden Geothermal hopes to use a heat exchanger to connect to a heat main and link to the Eden Project to supply it with renewable heat 

The geothermal energy project works by pumping cold water into the ground so the warmth of the Earth's core 'superheats' it, and then it can be brought back to the surface and that heat used to generate electricity

The attraction in Cornwall announced in 2019 that it will build a machine to send water almost three miles underground, where it will be 'superheated' by the Earth's molten core and come back boiling hot

WHAT IS GEOTHERMAL ENERGY?

Experts believe there is enough untapped energy in the granite below Cornwall alone to provide 10 per cent of Britain's electricity. 

Geothermal energy is produced by harnessing the heat from the Earth's core, which is composed of solid and liquid parts and thought to be around 5,430°C (9,806°F).

To produce power from this heat, people must dig extremely deep wells (in excess of a mile underground) and pump water down them.

This water is then 'superheated' by the scorching heat inside the Earth and pumped back up, carrying the heat with it and producing steam capable of powering electricity-generating turbines. 

There are three types of geothermal power plants: dry steam, flash and binary.

Dry steam is the oldest form of geothermal technology and takes steam out of the ground and uses it to directly drive a turbine. 

Flash plants use high-pressure hot water into cool, low-pressure water.

And binary plants pass hot water through a secondary liquid with a lower boiling point, which turns to vapour to drive the turbine.

Source: Power Technology