1968 Meckering earthquake
Magnitude 6.5 earthquake in Australia
31°34′S 117°04′E / 31.57°S 117.07°E / -31.57; 117.07[1]
The Western Australian town of Meckering was struck by an earthquake on 14 October 1968. The earthquake occurred at 10:58:52 local time, with a moment magnitude of 6.5 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Total damage amounted to $2.2 million with 20–28 injured.
Earthquake
The shallow fault was about 32 kilometres (20 mi) long around the western side of the town of Meckering. It damaged roads including the Great Eastern Highway, the Eastern Goldfields Railway and the Goldfields water pipeline. It formed a fault scarp up to 1.5 metres (5 ft) high with overthrusting to the west of up to 2 metres (7 ft) and strike-slip displacement of up to 0.9 metres (3 ft).[4]
Damage
The earthquake affected structures in Perth,[6] the capital of Western Australia 130 km west of Meckering. It occurred in mid-morning of a public holiday, the Queen's Birthday and theatres were packed with children.[7]
Salisbury Homestead
The Salisbury Homestead was built by Harry Sermon in 1904 using local stone with a timber and corrigated iron roof. The property would later be owned by the Stooke family. The earthquake destroyed the house, Alice Snooke rescued her 2-year-old daughter from the earthquake. The homestead was abandoned due to the damage and as of 2024 remains as a memorial to the event.[8][9][10]
See also
References
- ^ a b c ISC (2017), ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2013), Version 4.0, International Seismological Centre
- ^ a b Yeats, R. S.; Sieh, K. E.; Allen, C. R. (1997). The Geology of Earthquakes. Oxford University Press. pp. 335, 485. ISBN 978-0-19-507827-5.
- ^ a b National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS) (1972), Significant Earthquake Database, National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA, doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
- ^ a b Everingham 1968, p. summary
- ^ USGS (4 September 2009), PAGER-CAT Earthquake Catalog, Version 2008_06.1, United States Geological Survey
- ^ Meckering Action Group, (issuing body.) (2010), Meckering Earthquake, October 14, 1968 : souvenir booklet, Meckering Action Group (Inc.), retrieved 13 March 2019
- ^ Everingham 1968, p. Introduction
- ^ "History Of Meckering » Shire of Cunderdin". www.cunderdin.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Meckering Earthquake Farm Ruins » Shire of Cunderdin". www.cunderdin.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ Tate, Lee (11 July 2018). "October commemorates 50 years since the earthquake of Meckering". Have a Go News. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
Sources
- Everingham, I. B. (1968), Preliminary Report on the 14 October 1968 Earthquake at Meckering, Western Australia (PDF), Record No. 1968 / 142, Department of National Development – Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics
External links
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.
- v
- t
- e
- Belice (5.5, Jan 14) †
- Aegean Sea (7.0, February 20)
- Ebino (6.2, February 21)
- Hyūga-nada (7.5, April 1)
- Borrego Mountain (6.6, April 8)
- Tokachi (8.3, May 16) †
- Inangahua (7.1, May 24)
- Casiguran (7.6, Aug 2) †
- Sulawesi (7.4, Aug 14) †
- Dasht-e Bayaz and Ferdows (7.4, Aug 31) †‡
- Bartın (6.2, Sep 3)
- Meckering (6.5, Oct 14)
- Illinois (5.4, Nov 9)
† indicates earthquake resulting in at least 30 deaths
‡ indicates the deadliest earthquake of the year
‡ indicates the deadliest earthquake of the year
