AFTERSHOCK TWO YEARS LATER
Magnitude-4.6 earthquake strikes Rawson in Victoria's east, tremors felt across Melbourne
By Melissa Brown
Posted 10h ago10 hours ago,
In short: Thousands of people have reported feeling the effects of an earthquake that struck at Rawson, in Victoria's east, about 1:30am
What's next? Geoscience Australia says the tremor may be a part of a sequence that began in 2021, when a magnitude-5.9 quake was felt across four states
Seismologists say a magnitude-4.6 earthquake has occurred in the High Country in Victoria's east.
Geoscience Australia said the tremor occurred at Rawson, at a depth of 3 kilometres about 1:30am.
About 9,000 people officially reported light-to-moderate shaking to the national earthquake alert centre.
Michael Leaney lives 12km north-east of Rawson in the town of Walhalla.
Having experienced past tremors at his home, Mr Leaney said it was typical for the noise to arrive before the quake itself.
"The first thing that actually wakes you up is the roar that starts before the earthquake actually comes through and you get a few seconds in advance to the shaking that occurs," he said.
"You get this roar … like a train going past, and it's really, really loud, and that's what you notice when you're so close to the epicentre of an earthquake."
This was the third time Bec Closter had felt a quake since she moved to the town of Erica on the fringe of the Baw Baw National Park six years ago.
She said she and her husband woke to the tremor shaking their entire home, including their bed.
Ms Closter said her husband thought the house might fall.
"It was the weirdest feeling," she said.
"It was like that dream state of, 'Is the house shaking, is a truck coming through, or is it actually an earthquake?'
"I hope everyone's OK. It's not a massive one, [but] I know for some people it can trigger things."
'My house was shaking'
Residents of Melbourne's eastern and southern suburbs called ABC Radio.
Sue in Healesville, east of Melbourne, said it was a strong shake.
"It sort of eased a bit for a minute then it came back again as if the house had been picked up and shaken."
Another listener said they were in the kitchen when the quake struck.
"I've got big cedar windows and they're the first things that start and it's really frightening," another listener said.
One man in south-east Melbourne said it was strong enough to wake him.
"I've never experienced anything like it," he said.
"It absolutely shook my home out at Noble Park. It rattled and rolled the place and I just jumped out of bed."
So far there are no reports of damage.
Tremor could be aftershock from 2021 quake
Geoscience Australia senior seismologist Jonathan Bathgate said the tremor was likely to be part of a sequence of quakes dating back to the September 2021 earthquake that was felt across Melbourne and Victoria's east and as far away as New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia.
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"This event that occurred early this morning is part of that sequence that started in September in 2021 with that magnitude-5.9 and we've recorded at least 47 earthquakes now between magnitude-2 and this 4.6," Mr Bathgate said.
"This is the largest aftershock that we've had since the main shock back in September 2021."
Mr Bathgate said the number of earthquakes being recorded in Victoria was not increasing or unusual.
"Australia does get quite a bit of seismicity that people don't often appreciate, more than people appreciate in general.
"This one's slightly larger at magnitude-4.6 and, as I say, it's part of that larger sequence of earthquakes, but Australia, in general, we get earthquakes because we're on a continent that's moving north at about 7 centimetres every year," he said.
"That in parts stresses on our local fault lines and that stress is released through through small earthquakes.”
ABC weather presenter and meteorologist Nate Byrne said earthquakes normally occur where tectonic plates meet, but that Australia is in the middle of a plate.
"It's like getting a pavlova and squeezing the sides," he said.
"Instead of being on the sides where big crumbling would happen, we're in the middle and you would expect to see cracks forming in the middle. That's what’s happening here."
Quake part of normal seismic activity
Hazard seismologist Elodie Borleis from the Seismology Research Centre in Melbourne said while the quake was an aftershock to the 2021 event, it would produce its own sequence.
"It is a larger event so we would expect aftershocks," she said.
She agreed it was part of the normal seismic activity for Victoria.
"This is very normal. Yes, we've had an increase in the last, you know, couple of years of people actually feeling them but the actual background seismicity hasn't changed at all.
"If you look at it, over the last 100 years, it is quite normal seismic activity."
Her colleague, Juan-Santiago Velasquez says strong quakes, like in 2021, can generate long-lasting sequences.
"In places that tend to be more stable like here in Australia, we see that sometimes the aftershock sequences can last longer.
"After the main shock, it can [take] years until the stresses or the pressures of the earth in t
"This event that occurred early this morning is part of that sequence that started in September in 2021 with that magnitude-5.9 and we've recorded at least 47 earthquakes now between magnitude-2 and this 4.6," Mr Bathgate said.
"This is the largest aftershock that we've had since the main shock back in September 2021."
Mr Bathgate said the number of earthquakes being recorded in Victoria was not increasing or unusual.
"Australia does get quite a bit of seismicity that people don't often appreciate, more than people appreciate in general.
"This one's slightly larger at magnitude-4.6 and, as I say, it's part of that larger sequence of earthquakes, but Australia, in general, we get earthquakes because we're on a continent that's moving north at about 7 centimetres every year," he said.
"That in parts stresses on our local fault lines and that stress is released through through small earthquakes.”
ABC weather presenter and meteorologist Nate Byrne said earthquakes normally occur where tectonic plates meet, but that Australia is in the middle of a plate.
"It's like getting a pavlova and squeezing the sides," he said.
"Instead of being on the sides where big crumbling would happen, we're in the middle and you would expect to see cracks forming in the middle. That's what’s happening here."
Quake part of normal seismic activity
Hazard seismologist Elodie Borleis from the Seismology Research Centre in Melbourne said while the quake was an aftershock to the 2021 event, it would produce its own sequence.
"It is a larger event so we would expect aftershocks," she said.
She agreed it was part of the normal seismic activity for Victoria.
"This is very normal. Yes, we've had an increase in the last, you know, couple of years of people actually feeling them but the actual background seismicity hasn't changed at all.
"If you look at it, over the last 100 years, it is quite normal seismic activity."
Her colleague, Juan-Santiago Velasquez says strong quakes, like in 2021, can generate long-lasting sequences.
"In places that tend to be more stable like here in Australia, we see that sometimes the aftershock sequences can last longer.
"After the main shock, it can [take] years until the stresses or the pressures of the earth in t
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