yesterday.

Many people felt the earth rumbling for around two to three seconds about 7.45 a.m., among them Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan.

"I felt a little shake and no more than that,'' said Sir John. "I was not sure what it was. I thought it was my imagination or a heavy vehicle going by.

But I heard other people experienced it too.'' Police confirmed that they had received a number of calls from people worried about the tremor.

Permanent Secretary of the Environment Dr. James Burnett-Herkes said he had not felt the tremor but had heard about it from other people.

"The tremor last year was from a jet plane breaking the sound barrier,'' he said. "I do not know what this was.'' He said there was a seismic station in Fort St. George, but it had been closed for economic reasons.

Noting the Island was between the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the US East Coast, Dr. Burnett-Herkes added: "Bermuda is a fairly stable area but the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is fairly lively.

"If there was a tremor in the Mid-Atlantic it might be felt here. Water does transmit these tremors.'' Former operator of the seismic station, Mr. Gabriel Pimental said he had not felt yesterday's "quake'' but explained it was not rare for Bermuda to feel such tremors.