Gippsland records nine earthquakes in nine days as aftershocks continue near Leongatha
Gippsland in Victoria has recorded nine earthquakes in nine days, with the latest tremor felt in Leongatha on Wednesday evening. The activity follows a magnitude-4.9 quake near Leongatha that shook the region at the weekend. Emergency services have urged residents to be prepared for further shaking as the sequence continues.
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Geoscience Australia said the Wednesday earthquake measured magnitude 3.2 and was felt at a depth of 10 kilometres. The agency said it received more than 2,000 felt reports from people who noticed the tremor. Eight aftershocks have been recorded since the stronger weekend quake, including two overnight tremors of magnitude 2.5 and 1.5.
Seismology Research Centre chief scientist Adam Pascale said the pattern was not unusual and that aftershocks can continue after a larger event. He said such activity is often clustered, with some periods producing more closely spaced tremors than others. He also said it was impossible to know whether larger events might follow, but that people should remain prepared.
The sequence matters because even moderate earthquakes can cause concern and, in some cases, damage. The recent activity has also drawn attention to the region's earthquake history, including previous magnitude-4.6 quakes in 2009 and a magnitude-4.4 quake in 2011. Monash University seismologist Dee Ninis said parts of Gippsland, including Korumburra, experience felt earthquakes several times a year.
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The latest tremor came one week after a magnitude-3.9 earthquake in Ensay, in eastern Victoria, which was then described as the strongest recorded in that area in more than a decade. That earlier quake and the current swarm underline that seismic activity in Victoria can occur away from major plate boundaries. The supporting rows also note that the largest earthquake on record in Victoria was a magnitude-5.9 event, though the record is incomplete in the supplied material.
What remains unclear is whether the Gippsland sequence will continue at the same pace or ease in the coming days. Officials have not indicated any major damage in the supplied material, and scientists say the size of any future quake cannot be predicted. Residents in the region are being advised to stay alert and prepared for additional aftershocks.
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