Australian Earthquake

On Wednesday, September 22, 2022, an earthquake struck near Melbourne, Australia. The earthquake had a magnitude of 5.9, one of the highest Australia has ever experienced, and a depth of 6 miles. The epicenter of the shallow quake was near Mansfield in the state of Victoria, but tremors reached for miles around the area, affecting neighboring states as well. Although no one was harmed, infrastructure was severely threatened and buildings experienced a lot of damage. Many aftershocks followed the original earthquake.

The earthquake struck at around 9:15 AM local time. People reported experiencing tremors, windows rattling, and water moving within their containers. Some people also lost electricity during this time or had issues with telecommunication. Since the last earthquake in this area occurred years ago, many buildings were fragile and had not been tested for resistance to earthquakes. Thus, a lot of buildings were damaged. Rubble from buildings fell onto the street and blocked roads, thankfully not harming anyone. The quake also led to minor landslides and fallen trees, as well as cracks in roads.

After the earthquake, there were more than 150 aftershocks. The most notable aftershocks were of 4.0 and 3.1 magnitudes, the first of which occurred only fifteen minutes after the initial earthquake. This gave Australian residents little time to react or prepare. There were also smaller aftershocks of 2.9 and 2.8 magnitudes, but these occurred in quick succession. Due to the aftershocks, authorities have advised against going near damaged buildings or driving.

Although this earthquake is one of the largest in Australia to date, it didn’t cause a lot of damage. No one was harmed, and surprisingly few buildings were destroyed. This may in part be due to the COVID-19 lockdown, reducing the number of people walking around in the streets. Also, construction codes established years earlier require all buildings to be built for earthquake resistance, which played an important part in their structural integrity. The last factor that played a role in how Mansfield avoided major damage is the way the fault ruptured. Most of the seismic energy was directed outwards instead of upwards. This meant that more people felt the earthquake, but those who did experienced less deadly effects. Since the earthquake wasn’t that severe, there are no charities at this time.

References

• BBC News. (2021, September 22). Melbourne earthquake: Tremor rattles southeast Australia. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-58646917

• Ciccarelli, R. (2021, October 16). More aftershocks rock Victoria, weeks after 5.9 magnitude earthquake. 9 News. https://www.9news.com.au/national/victoria-earthquake-more-aftershocks-recorded-in-state-weeks-after-59-magnitude-earthquake/75b19cde-bd6e-40fc-97c7-127d966e3036

• Lu, D. (2021, October 3). Melbourne buildings vulnerable to ‘significant damage’ even with small earthquake tremors. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/04/melbourne-buildings-vulnerable-to-significant-damage-even-with-small-earthquake-tremors

• Reuters. (2021, September 22). Magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes near Melbourne, tremors rattle southeast Australia. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/earthquake-magnitude-56-strikes-near-melbourne-australia-gfz-2021-09-21/

• Volcano Discovery. (2021, September 23). Strong mag. 5.9 earthquake - Mansfield, 83 km north of Traralgon, Latrobe, Victoria, Australia, on Wednesday, Sep 22, 2021 9:15 am (GMT +10) - 4 weeks ago. https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes/quake-info/6417220/quake-felt-Sep-21-2021-Near-Melbourne-Victoria-Australia.html