Home : Learn : Earthquakes

Earthquakes - In My Backyard?

Australia’s first earthquake was recorded more than 200 years ago.This earthquake occured at Port Jackson, New South Wales in June, 1788 and lasted for about 3 seconds.

Other earthquakes recorded in early Australian history were:

Hobart in 1827
South Australia 1837
Melbourne in 1841
Perth in 1849.

The first recorded deaths in Australia caused by earthquakes occurred in 1902, at Warooka, South Australia. Two people died of shock after a Richter magnitude 6.0 earthquake.

A train line damaged by an earthquake

In 1917, one miner died and 5 were injured in an underground rock fall triggered by an earthquake in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.

In the last 80 years, there have been 17 earthquakes in Australia registering 6.0 or more on the Richter Scale. This is a rate of about one earthquake every five years, compared to the world average of about 140 per year.

Although the larger Australian earthquakes have caused significant damage, they are much smaller in strength than the world's most-damaging shocks. Until Newcastle's December 1989 earthquake, the damage bill caused by earthquakes in Australia, had been comparatively low.

Quakes that Shook the Nation

Here is a list of some of the major earthquakes to have occured in Australia in recent times:

1 March 1954, Adelaide, South Australia

Adelaide was awakened by a loud rumbling sound. This was followed by shaking, severe enough to crack walls and loosen plaster and chimneys from many houses. Although minor compared to many overseas quakes, the Adelaide earthquake was (at magnitude 5.4) severe enough to cause damage estimated at $350 million (1997 values). No serious injuries were reported.

October 1968, Meckering, Western Australia

One of the more serious Australian earthquakes in fairly recent years occurred at the small town of Meckering. Residents reported seeing ground waves as well as experiencing difficulty when driving as the 6.9 Richter magnitude earthquake struck. Old buildings collapsed, railway lines were buckled and pipelines fractured, and a 37 kilometres long fault scarp (up to 2.5 metres high) was caused. 16 injuries were reported and the total cost of damage estimated $50 million.

22 January 1988, Tennant Creek, Northern Territory

Significant earthquakes of magnitudes 6.3, 6.4 and 6.8 occurred near Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. These resulted in large, long ground ruptures and a 35 kilometre fault (up to 2 metre displacement) which warped underground gas pipelines, but caused only minor damage to the hospital and some homes in the town.

28 December 1989, Newcastle, New South Wales

At 10.27am, Newcastle, Australia's sixth largest city, was partially devastated by a moderate earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter Scale. The Newcastle earthquake, the first lethal one in Australia, claimed 13 lives.

The devastation to buildings and other structures was extensive, which was unusual for a relatively-small magnitude earthquake. This was due mainly to an underlying, thin layer of alluvium, which appeared to magnify ground motion (shaking). The epicentre was located 15km West Southwest of the city centre, near Boolaroo.

August 1994, Ellalong, New South Wales

A damaging earthquake again affected the Hunter region of NSW, this time in the Ellalong-Cessnock area. Measuring 5.4 on the Richter Scale, it became our third most-damaging. Several homes, hotels and other buildings suffered seriously and up to 1,000 homes were partly damaged. Infrastructure, commercial and industrial losses also occurred. Insurance payouts were $38 million and total damage costs exceeded $150 million (1997 values).

The End of a Myth

A map showing the Earth's tectonic plates and
earthquake zones.
(see the text on the left for more information)

Despite Australia's seemingly low-risk situation in the middle of one of Earth's larger tectonic plates, we have had many earthquakes larger than that of Newcastle. The map to the right shows that Australia is in the middle of the Australian-Indian Plate.

The Australian Geological Survey Organisation in Canberra estimates that on average, the Australian region experiences an earthquake of at least this size, or larger, every 13-15 months.

Most of these earthquakes have been in low populated areas, so for many years people thought Australia could not be affected by this natural disaster. The Newcastle experience dispelled this myth!

Australian Geology

Due to Australia's geological position, we are prone to what seismologists call 'intra-plate' earthquakes.

These are different to the more familiar plate-margin earthquakes, common in areas like California in the USA and in Japan.