1968 Meckering earthquake
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.
  | |
| 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 | 31.57°S 117.07°E[1] |
| Fault | Meckering Fault[2] |
| Total damage | $2.2 million[3] |
| Max. intensity | IX (Violent)[3] |
| Casualties | 20–28 injured[4][5] |
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]
The effect of the earthquake involved structures in Perth,[6] the capital of Western Australia 130 km west of Meckering. It occurred mid-morning of a public holiday, the Queen's Birthday and theatres were packed with children.[7]
References
- ISC (2017), ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2013), Version 4.0, International Seismological Centre
- Yeats, R. S.; Sieh, K. E.; Allen, C. R. (1997). The Geology of Earthquakes. Oxford University Press. p. 485. ISBN 978-0-19-507827-5.
- National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS), Significant Earthquake Database, National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA, doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
- 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
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.