There are reports of damaged buildings but no serious injuries after three earthquakes occurred near Mansfield in Victoria's north-east this morning.
Key points:
- The three quakes measured 5.8, 4.0 and 3.1 in magnitude
- Tremors were felt across much of south-eastern Australia including South Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales
- Experts say smaller aftershocks may continue to occur
Geoscience Australia said the first magnitude 5.8 earthquake was detected in the Alpine National Park south-east of Mansfield around 9:15am and was 10-kilometres deep.
It also says the quake is one of the largest earthquakes in eastern Australia since European settlement.
A magnitude-4 earthquake at a depth of 12km was recorded by the agency nearby about 15 minutes later and a magnitude-3.1 quake at a depth of 6km at 9:54am.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison, speaking from the United States, said the earthquake was "very disturbing" and distressing, but there were, so far, no reports of fatalities.
He said the federal government stood ready to support Victorians as required in the response.
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)The initial quake was felt 190 kilometres away in Melbourne as well as in regional Victoria, Sydney, regional New South Wales, the ACT, Adelaide and Launceston in Tasmania.
Apartment buildings were evacuated in inner-Melbourne, where damage to streets and roads was being posted to social media.
Windows buckled as quake shook Mansfield
FoodWorks Mansfield assistant manager Karen McGregor said she first thought a truck was coming into town.
"The windows started shaking, the walls, and everything on the desk, it was really quite scary," she said.
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)"We ran downstairs to the shop, it was really, really scary down there. The windows were buckling.
"I was very scared. I just thought, oh my God, is this place going to fall down?"
Ms McGregor said she had not heard reports of anyone with any injuries.
Despite the shaking, she said the shop did not sustain too much damage, with only a few unbreakable items off the shelves.
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)Ross, 60, who lives on the Bellarine Peninsula told ABC Radio Melbourne it was the biggest earthquake he had ever experienced.
"We've just moved into a round earth house on a concrete slab and the whole thing just rock and rolled and the water in the swimming pool went sloshing backwards and forwards," he said.
"I couldn't believe it."
Margot in Moonee Ponds said at first she thought her daughter was pranking her when her whole house began shaking.
"It was quite intense," she said.
"My chair was shaking… everything in the room was rattling and clinking together."
Expert says aftershocks could continue for months
Seismology Research Centre head Adam Pascale said the epicentre of the quake was north-east of Aberfeldy and the Thomson Dam in the Alpine National Park.
"We are still refining it, but we think it's a mag-5.8 potentially at this point in Gippsland," he told ABC Radio Gippsland.
"It shook here in the northern suburbs of Melbourne for about 15-20 seconds so it's quite a significant earthquake."
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Mr Pascale warned there could be aftershocks to come and they could continue for months.
"There is a small likelihood that there could be a larger event but we'll see as we go," he said.
"The main things for people to remember is if they do start to feel some shaking. There's usually a primary and a secondary wave.
"The primary wave will give you a few seconds to get under a table and hold on."
University of Melbourne geology professor Mike Sandiford said that, while there would be aftershocks following this morning's earthquake, most of them would not be felt by humans.
"We get these sorts of earthquakes about every 10 years, the last big one was in 2012 — a magnitude-5 in Gippsland," Professor Sandiford said.
"These earthquakes will have aftershocks for sure, but they tend to be at least an order of magnitude smaller in their intensity, so they won't do nearly as much damage."
Best thing to do in an earthquake – drop, cover and hold on
Geoscience Australia senior seismologist Trevor Allen said the official advice when someone was in an earthquake was to "drop, cover and hold on".
"When you do feel the ground start to shake, and you recognise it is an earthquake, it's best to drop to the ground, cover under a sturdy desk or table and hold on until the shaking stops," he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
During earthquakes, most injuries were not caused by building collapses, Dr Allen said, but by "non-structural items" such as bookshelves, falling on people.
Standing in a door frame was not recommended, as the door may swing shut and injure a person standing there during the quake.
Dr Allen said this magnitude of earthquake in Victoria was "very rare".
"It looks as if this was potentially the largest earthquake we have experienced in Victoria since European settlement," Dr Allen said.
"Given that it was such a large earthquake, we should expect to experience aftershocks from this particular event, they may continue for some weeks to months following this particular earthquake."
More to come.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA5LTIyL2VhcnRocXVha2UtdmljdG9yaWEtbWVsYm91cm5lLW5zdy1zeWRuZXktY2FuYmVycmEtYWN0LzEwMDQ4MTczMtIBKGh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMDA0ODE3MzI?oc=5
2021-09-21 23:35:22Z
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