1,2,- 1University of Edinburgh, School of GeoSciences, Edinburgh, United Kingdom of Great Britain – England, Scotland, Wales (iris.vanzelst@ed.ac.uk)
- 2University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom of Great Britain – England, Scotland, Wales
- 3University of Durham, Durham, United Kingdom of Great Britain – England, Scotland, Wales
In the classic children's story “The House At Pooh Corner” by A. A. Milne (1928), Eeyore is relieved that there has not been an earthquake lately in the Hundred Acre Wood. This statement has a seismological story behind it that we present here, such that other seismologists may use it in their seismology science communication efforts. We also have a corresponding science communication project ourselves: The Science Storyteller (see EOS2.1).
Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories are largely autobiographical and inspired by the imaginary adventures of his son, Christopher Robin, and his stuffed animals. The book therefore takes place in Sussex (UK), where Milne lived. Large earthquakes are not common in the UK. Why then, is Eeyore talking about them?
Diving into the historical earthquake databases of the UK (British Geological Survey) reveals that several earthquakes occurred in the region a couple of years before the publication of this second Winnie-the-Pooh novel. Three events are of particular interest: a 1926 Ml4.8 event in Ludlow, West Midlands, and Ml5.5 and Ml5.4 events in 1926 and 1927, respectively, near the Channel Islands. Calculating the intensity attenuation in the UK on the European Macroseismic Scale (Grünthal, 1998) reveals that the 1926 Ludlow and 1926, 1927 Channel Islands earthquakes could have been felt in Sussex (intensity 2.8, 3.6, and 3.5, respectively). Historical data also reveals a recording of intensity 5 in West Sussex for the Ml5.5 Channel Islands earthquake (Amorèse et al., 2020). The repeated and higher intensity Channel Islands events are therefore the most likely earthquakes to be felt by Milne. Earthquakes in this intraplate setting are rare and likely due to reactivation of existing faults due to distant regional stresses. Eeyore's worry about the next earthquake is therefore fully justified - revealing a titbit of seismology history in this beloved story.
References
Amorèse, D., Benjumea, J., & Cara, M. (2020). Source parameters of the 1926 and 1927 Jersey earthquakes from historical, instrumental, and macroseismic data. Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 300, 106420.
Grünthal, G. (1998). European macroseismic scale 1998 (EMS-98).
How to cite: van Zelst, I., Lythgoe, K., Gilligan, A., and Jenkins, J.: Why is Eeyore talking about earthquakes? The fascinating seismology story behind Winnie-the-Pooh , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-11569, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-11569, 2026.
