Norseman earthquake – a 5.2 magnitude quake has rattled the goldfields region east of Perth
An unusually powerful earthquake has rattled the Gold Fields and south coastal region of Western Australia, about 700km east of Perth.
Geoscience Australia reported on their website the 5.2 magnitude quake hit just before midnight, Saturday May 28, at a depth of 15km.
The quake was centred just a few kilometres outside of the town of Norseman and could be felt in surrounding towns, including Esperance to the south.
People in Norseman told us on Facebook they felt the quake “pretty well”
Ashley Coomber wrote on Facebook (to our delight): “Im in Norsemans now sleeping in truck and me truck was rocking pretty well felt two.”
Twitter user @ScientistMags reported feeling the quake in Esperance. She said the first quake lasted for about 10-seconds. She also reported feeling an aftershock an hour after.
Wowzers. Just felt an earthquake in #Esperance. Waiting for @EarthquakesGA to confirm.
— Mags (@ScientistMags) May 28, 2016
And just now an aftershock as this got tweeted! #Esperance https://t.co/KLOgJpzLC8
— Mags (@ScientistMags) May 28, 2016
Geoscience Australia said the Norseman earthquake could have been felt by people up to 220km away and may have caused damage up to 15km away. However, there were no reports of any problems.
Here’s the estimated radius of shaking by Geoscience Australia:
Norseman has a population of about 800. About 10,000 people live in the town of Esperance about 160km south of the epicentre.
Wowzers. Just felt an earthquake in #Esperance. Waiting for @EarthquakesGA to confirm.
— Mags (@ScientistMags) May 28, 2016
Mag 5.1 #Earthquake near Norseman, WA has been felt at Esperance. No #tsunami threat https://t.co/eUaVPY0T7C pic.twitter.com/EQTRd651n9
— BOM Australia (@BOM_au) May 28, 2016
Post will update with any more info.
