The United Kingdom sits well within the interior of the Eurasian Plate, far from any active plate boundary, which makes it one of the more geologically stable parts of Europe. It still experiences hundreds of small earthquakes each year, driven by ancient faults and the slow readjustment of crust that was pressed down by ice-age glaciers.
Most British quakes are minor, but occasional larger events occur, such as the 1931 Dogger Bank earthquake in the North Sea, the UK's largest recorded, and the 2008 Market Rasen tremor that was felt across much of England. Britain's dramatic volcanoes are all long extinct, their eroded roots forming iconic landmarks like Edinburgh's Arthur's Seat and the basalt columns of the Giant's Causeway.