A strong second earthquake has occurred in the Upper Hunter region of NSW, following a 4.7-magnitude tremor on Friday.
Thousands of homes were left without water and power following the first quake.
The second seismic activity, which was felt near Muswellbrook, was detected by Geoscience Australia at around 4.31pm. The Bureau of Meteorology also noted that the second earthquake did not cause a tsunami warning.
Geoscience Australia reported that there were multiple aftershocks, which had a magnitude of around 2.5. These occurred at around 5.30 pm.
Dr. Hadi Ghasemi, a senior seismologist from Geoscience Australia, said that although it’s not rare for earthquakes to occur in NSW, the two recent shocks that were of similar magnitude were quite interesting.
According to Ghasemi, typically, there are two types of seismic activity: a main shock followed by an aftershock.
However, in the past couple of weeks, we have experienced two major shocks that were very similar in size. He noted that there’s a possibility that more powerful aftershocks will occur in the coming months.
In response to the second earthquake, the Muswellbrook Shire council reported that around 2,500 residents were without power on the southern part of the town.
They also stated that some areas, such as Eastbrook Links and Woodland Ridge, were without water.
The council noted that they were working to restore the water supply to these areas. This comes after a 3.2-magnitude earthquake was felt in Muswellbrook earlier today.
Then, around two hours later, another earthquake with a magnitude of around 2.5 happened. The powerful earthquake that occurred on Friday affected areas in NSW, including Coffs Harbour and Canberra.
The second earthquake caused schools to be evacuated and damaged several homes.
According to Ghasemi, the most powerful aftershocks will most likely occur at the beginning of the sequence.
He said that people should avoid going outside and hide under a sturdy shelter if they feel that a stronger earthquake is coming.
The earthquake that occurred in Denman, which is close to Muswellbrook, was felt by thousands of people across NSW.
It had initially been reported as a magnitude 5 earthquake. Many of those who felt the earthquake were from Coffs Harbour to Canberra.
Although the earthquake in Denman was moderate, it was powerful enough to generate powerful seismic waves.
According to Ghassemi, the agency was able to find the location of the earthquake through records from various areas thousands of kilometers away.
The region where the earthquake occurred is usually seismically active.
It’s believed that the earthquake hit underneath the Mt Arthur Coal Mine, which is owned by BHP.
A spokesperson for the company said that no one was seriously injured in the mine. A nearby public school was also evacuated due to the proximity of the epicenter.
The SES teams in the region reported that the earthquake caused windows to break at the local council depot.
It also damaged several homes. In the nearby suburbs, thousands of people experienced power outages.