Woke me too, Rob! Scared the bejeezuss out of me. And the dogs -- who were spooked beforehand in that eerie way that dogs have of "knowing stuff". And then a car alarm went off!

If I fall asleep over the keyboard today I will feel safe blaming Mother Nature.

Mark, do you suppose if dogs could talk they'd remark on the eerie way humans have of not knowing stuff?

I felt it in N.Hants and initially thought hubby had dropped dead at the foot of the bed - especially when I couldn't hear any breathing.
But then heard him moving around down stairs, so naturally assumed we had a poltergeist.
So much for those 5yrs studying Geology at Uni.

It woke Gus and me up. I was terrified, much more so than in 2002 when it happened before. Check out my report on my blog.

Can I be a complete nerd for a moment and say your diagram is incorrect. It shows two spreading plates, not a subduction zone.

Ok, I've just put my glasses on, and now I can see the subduction zone.
*blush*.

You were right to suspect something fishy, though Naomi. I just grabbed a picture of an earthquake zone and snipped the identifying features away. That's the U.S. Pacific N.W. there - nowhere near Britain. But top marks for being a nerd. I heartily approve of people knowing stuff.