Earthquakes in Western Australia

"On Saturday last, about a quarter past four o'clock a.m., several inhabitants of Perth were awoke by what they conceived to be a slight shock of an earthquake.

[4] Prior to scientific equipment being utilised to record earthquakes, newspaper reports appear to be the main source of historical information.

[7] Western Australia's largest recorded onshore earthquake to date was at the Wheatbelt township of Meckering, in October 1968.

[11][12] On 28 August 1917, tremor was reported near midnight in Kalgoorlie, which resulted in an underground rock fall, killing one miner and injuring several others.

[13] The second largest onshore earthquake to date in Western Australia was on 29 April 1941 at Meeberrie station at 01.35.39 am (Lat −26.90 and Long 115.80).

Damage from the earthquake was small because of the low population in the epicentral region, but the shaking at Meeberrie homestead was very severe.

[9] On 14 October 1968 at 10:59 am, an earthquake registering 6.9 on the Richter scale occurred 100 km (62 mi) east of Perth in Meckering, Western Australia.

[3] Injuring 20 people, causing over 2 million dollars in damage and felt in towns 650 km (400 mi) away, it is Western Australia's most destructive earthquake to date.

The hypocentre occurred 7 km (4.3 mi) below the earth's surface in the Yandanooka/Cape Riche Lineamen region located east of Meckering.

The epicentre was close to the town of Cadoux in the Wheatbelt region about 165 km (103 mi) north east of Perth, Western Australia.

[9] Located near Cadoux (but not on the same physical feature) the Burakin event was named the most significant seismic activity in 40 years.

It was an intraplate earthquake, as it occurred about 1,000 km (620 mi) north of the (constructive) boundary between the Indo-Australian and Antarctic plates.

[25] On 16 September 2018 a magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred with its epicentre close to Lake Muir[26] in the South West region.

The earthquake was 7.3 km deep and was widely felt across the Eastern Pilbara including in Newman, Port Hedland and various mining projects in the area.