1968 Meckering earthquake
 Salisbury Homestead one of the buildings destroyed in the earthquake | |
  | |
| UTC time | 1968-10-14 02:58:52 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 815895 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | 14 October 1968 |
| Local time | 10:58:52 |
| Magnitude | 6.5 Mw[1] |
| Depth | 15 km (9 mi)[1] |
| Epicenter | 31°34′S 117°04′E / 31.57°S 117.07°E[1] |
| Fault | Meckering Fault[2] |
| Type | Reverse[2] |
| Total damage | $2.2 million[3] |
| Max. intensity | MMI IX (Violent)[3] |
| Casualties | 20–28 injured[4][5] |
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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ 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
- ^ PAGER-CAT Earthquake Catalog, Version 2008_06.1, United States Geological Survey, 4 September 2009
- ^ 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". cunderdin.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Meckering Earthquake Farm Ruins » Shire of Cunderdin". 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
- Gordon, F. R; Lewis, J. D. (1980). The Meckering and Calingiri Earthquakes October 1968 and March 1970. Geological Survey of Western Australia (Bulletin 126). ISBN 072448082X.
- Johnston, J. F.; White, S. R. (2018). Understanding the Meckering Earthquake: Western Australia, 14 October 1968 (PDF). Geological Survey of Western Australia. ISBN 9781741688306.
External links
[edit]- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.