Latest news with #aftershock
News.com.au
24-05-2025
- Science
- News.com.au
Western NSW residents shake through 5.2 magnitude earthquake
An earthquake has shaken parts of western NSW in the early hours of Saturday morning, but some are reporting the event could be felt hours away from the epicentre. Geoscience Australia confirmed a magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck just after 2.30am in a remote part of Orana region, about 160 kilometres southeast of Bourke. The initial quake was followed seven minutes later by a magnitude 4.2 aftershock and another magnitude 3.6 tremor was also felt around 5.30am. The shocks continued throughout the day with a magnitude 3.0 at 11.46am and magnitude 3.5 at 1.03pm. Geoscience Australia senior seismologist Phil Cummins said any aftershocks felt in the NSW region is following a normal pattern. 'As far as we can tell this is all part of a normal aftershock sequence and therefore expect the earthquakes to decrease in frequency and magnitude,' he said. The senior seismologist said a number of people in western NSW are feeling the effects of the shock. 'It was widely felt, getting over 260 reports, ranging as far as Orange and Dubbo,' he said While Australia sits in the middle of a tectonic plate, meaning it is less likely to get an earthquake, the continent can still experience earthquakes. Local residents took to the Geoscience Australia Facebook page to discuss the impact of the earthquake. One person living in Forbes said they 'felt my floor vibrate last night twice about 10 minutes apart, though there was something under my house.' A second person said 'my dogs woke me up whining and my daughter was awake and felt the bed shake in Coonamble after a house rattle beforehand.' While another reported saying they 'felt nothing in Narromine, slept straight through it.' A fourth person working in the mines also reported that they did not feel the shock. 'Working underground at Peak Gold Mines Cobar last night l didn't fill a thing or ground movements.' Any members of the public who feel the impact of an earthquake are encouraged to lodge a felt report at Geoscience Australia.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
‘Widely felt': Earthquake rattles NSW
An earthquake has shaken parts of western NSW in the early hours of Saturday morning, but some are reporting the event could be felt hours away from the epicentre. Geoscience Australia confirmed a magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck just after 2.30am in a remote part of Orana region, about 160 kilometres southeast of Bourke. The initial quake was followed seven minutes later by a magnitude 4.2 aftershock and another magnitude 3.6 tremor was also felt around 5.30am. The shocks continued throughout the day with a magnitude 3.0 at 11.46am and magnitude 3.5 at 1.03pm. Geoscience Australia senior seismologist Phil Cummins said any aftershocks felt in the NSW region is following a normal pattern. 'As far as we can tell this is all part of a normal aftershock sequence and therefore expect the earthquakes to decrease in frequency and magnitude,' he said. The senior seismologist said a number of people in western NSW are feeling the effects of the shock. 'It was widely felt, getting over 260 reports, ranging as far as Orange and Dubbo,' he said While Australia sits in the middle of a tectonic plate, meaning it is less likely to get an earthquake, the continent can still experience earthquakes. Local residents took to the Geoscience Australia Facebook page to discuss the impact of the earthquake. One person living in Forbes said they 'felt my floor vibrate last night twice about 10 minutes apart, though there was something under my house.' A second person said 'my dogs woke me up whining and my daughter was awake and felt the bed shake in Coonamble after a house rattle beforehand.' While another reported saying they 'felt nothing in Narromine, slept straight through it.' A fourth person working in the mines also reported that they did not feel the shock. 'Working underground at Peak Gold Mines Cobar last night l didn't fill a thing or ground movements.' Any members of the public who feel the impact of an earthquake are encouraged to lodge a felt report at Geoscience Australia.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Aussies shaken awake as 'rare' magnitude 5.2 earthquake strikes series of regional towns in NSW
Aussies in north-central New South Wales have been shaken awake by a series of early-morning earthquakes with reports of tremors as far away as Queensland. A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck the Orana region of NSW at 2.36am on Saturday followed by a magnitude 4.1 aftershock just minutes later. Geoscience Australia reported the initial tremor hit at a shallow depth of 10km and was felt by residents across a wide area, including Nyngan, Carinda, Dubbo, Narromine, Coolah, and Collarenebri. A third 3.6 magnitude earthquake was recorded at 5.43am. More than 135 people reporting tremors to Geoscience Australia by 4am. Orana covers approximately 25 per cent of NSW and encompasses 12 local government areas. A resident in Forbes, 375km west of Sydney, said they felt their house shake. 'Felt my floor vibrate last night twice about 10 minutes apart. Thought there was something under my house,' they said. 'Woke us up in Moree,' another said. Helen Crosland, from Nyngan, said she 'felt it significantly'. 'Yes, it woke me up. I thought it was a train. Couldn't understand why the vibration was different and the odd timing. Now I know,' another said. Darryl Stokes said he even felt the quake in Queensland. 'Windows vibrated here on the Gold Coast,' he said. No significant damage or injuries were reported, but local authorities said they were monitoring the situation as minor aftershocks are still possible. Earthquakes above a magnitude of five occur every two years in Australia, but those events are rare in inland NSW. On average, 100 earthquakes of a magnitude of three or more are recorded in Australia each year. An earthquake exceeding magnitude seven occurs somewhere in Australia every 100 years on average. The Seismology Research Centre said the Orana region quakes were among the strongest to hit the state in recent years.
ABC News
24-05-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Significant earthquake shakes homes and wakes residents across western NSW
A "significant" earthquake has shaken parts of western New South Wales early on Saturday, in a seismic event felt as far away as Sydney. Geoscience Australia says the magnitude 5.2 quake struck just after 2:30am in a remote part of the Orana region, about 90 kilometres north of Nyngan and 160 kilometres south-east of Bourke. It was followed seven minutes later by a magnitude 4.2 aftershock and another magnitude 3.7 tremor about 5:30am. Senior Seismologist Trevor Allen says hundreds of people have registered feeling the impact on the Geoscience Australia website. "It is a significant earthquake," he said. Dr Allen said, despite the size of the quake, no damage had so far been reported. "Given that most of the felt reports are coming from a fair distance away from the earthquake, most people are reporting relatively light levels of ground shaking — and so we probably wouldn't expect to observe any damage from this event." Followers of the ABC Western Plains Facebook page shared their experience, with hundreds leaving comments. People have reported windows rattling in Condobolin, doors shaking in Walgett, beds squeaking in Bugaldie, wooden ducks falling off shelves in Narrabri and homes creaking in Bingara and Warialda. Some around Trundle say they thought grain trucks were passing nearby, while in Dubbo, sleepers awoke to a rumble that lasted about 30 seconds. Residents reported being woken by it in Wee Waa, while as far away as Maitland, one reported the wardrobe shaking. Another in Dubbo said it shook their home and their dogs and birds "were going bonkers". While Australia sits in the middle of a tectonic plate — far from earthquake-prone plate boundaries — the continent still experiences stress build-up in its ancient, fractured crust, Dr Allen said. "Over time, those stresses build up on existing faults," he said. "Once they become too great, the rocks break — and that's what we see as an earthquake." Western NSW is not known for high seismic activity, with only 12 quakes recorded within 200 kilometres of Saturday's event in the past 25 years. A similar-sized tremor happened in the nearby Coonamble Basin in 1961. Dr Allen said aftershocks could continue for days, or even weeks, but their frequency and strength would probably decline. He urged anyone who felt Saturday's quake to report it on the Geoscience Australia website and to remember earthquake safety advice: "Drop, cover and hold." "The reason we tell people that is because oftentimes it's not necessarily a building or the structure that fails and injures people, it is more often than not non-structural fittings within a building that are the cause of some of the major injuries and fatalities — things like air conditioning ducts, shelving, those sorts of things that can fall and injure people."
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tennessee earthquake: Will there be an aftershock? Check the prediction
It is possible the Southeast will feel an earthquake aftershock in the coming days, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report. A 4.1-magnitude earthquake that originated near Knoxville the morning of May 10 could be felt as far away as the Carolinas and Atlanta, Georgia. To understand the scale of that quake, the universal magnitude scale shows earthquakes as minor as 2.5 can be felt in a community. Building damage usually starts at 5.5 magnitude, according to earthquake experts at Michigan Tech University. Here's how the U.S. Geological Survey aftershock predictions break down for this latest earthquake: 15% chance of a 3.0 and above aftershock within a day 23% chance of a 3.0 and above aftershock within a week 30% chance of a 3.0 and above aftershock within a month 41% chance of a 3.0 and above aftershock within a year The spot where the aftershock is likely to occur is limited and centered on the Greenback, where the May 10 earthquake occurred. Aftershocks are smaller than the original earthquake. "As a general rule, aftershocks represent minor readjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the mainshock. The frequency of these aftershocks decreases with time," the U.S. Geological Survey explains. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee earthquake: Will there be an aftershock? Check the prediction
