LONDON (AP) — The only firm drilling for shale gas in Britain has temporarily suspended fracking after a mild earthquake.
Cuadrilla says it has halted drilling for 18 hours after a tremor was detected at its site in Little Plumpton, northwest England.
The British Geological Survey recorded the 0.8-magitude quake just after 11:30 a.m. Friday. It follows several smaller tremors earlier this week.
Cuadrilla says the tiny tremor was "way below anything that would be felt at surface, much less cause any harm or damage."
Fracking resumed in Britain on Oct. 15 for the first time since 2011.
Hydraulic fracturing had been stalled after two earthquakes in the same area led to legal challenges. Environmental activists failed in early October in Britain's High Court to keep fracking from proceeding in northwest England.
