World

Sydney shaken by rare 4.7-magnitude earthquake

Published on

August 23, 2024

The epicenter and felt reports (Credit: Geoscience Australia)

Sydney and the surrounding area have been rattled by a 4.7-magnitude earthquake, causing some minor damage but no injuries, according to local officials. It was the strongest quake in the Sydney area in 30 years.

The earthquake, which struck at 12:01 p.m. on Friday, was centered near Denman, a small town along the Golden Highway in New South Wales, about 69 miles northwest of Newcastle or 105 miles north of Sydney.

Geoscience Australia said the earthquake had a magnitude of 4.7, down from an earlier estimate of 5.0, with a depth of just 3 miles. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) put the magnitude slightly higher, at 4.8.

“The earthquake was widely felt across the Newcastle and Sydney regions, with over 3,000 felt reports registered, including as far as Wollongong,” Geoscience Australia said in a statement. “With the epicentre at around 5 km deep, the earthquake was quite shallow, which accounts for the large number of felt reports.”

The NSW State Emergency Service said there were no reports of injuries but crews were responding to minor infrastructure damage in Maitland and Muswellbrook. Dam owners in the region were urged to ensure dam integrity had not been affected.

“Any reports of damage or injury should be made to local relevant authorities,” police said in a statement.

Geoscience seismologist Dr. Hadi Ghasemi said more than 150 earthquakes have been registered in this area in the last 20 years, but none were as strong as this one. According to the USGS, the last tremor in the Sydney area which was stronger was a 5.3-magnitude earthquake near Ellalong in August 1994.

“Moderate to large earthquakes can occur anywhere across the continent, and without warning,” Ghasemi said. “On average, Australia experiences an earthquake of this size once every year or two.”

In September 2021, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck near Mansfield in the Victorian Alps, causing minor damage and injuring one person. And in 1989, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit near the city of Newcastle, killing 13 people.