New Earthquake Rattles Region South-East of Melbourne

Hundreds of people have reported feeling an earthquake approximately 135 kilometers south-east of Melbourne. The tremor occurred on Saturday afternoon with its epicenter at Kardella South, near the Gippsland town of Korumburra. Geoscience Australia recorded the quake at a depth of 5 kilometers, and at least 200 reports were made to the federal organization.

This event follows a magnitude 4.8 tremor that struck near Korumburra on October 3, which caused residents to report shaking windows and creaking homes. Earthquake geologist Dr. Dee Ninis from Monash University's School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment explained that aftershocks can be felt for days or even weeks after an initial earthquake. "Because it occurred in the same area as the earthquake earlier this month and was of a lower magnitude than the initial earthquake, it is an aftershock," Ninis stated.

She added that while hundreds of aftershocks often follow a significant earthquake, most are too small to be felt. The Gippsland Basin is noted for its relatively heightened seismic activity. Historical seismic events in the region include a magnitude 4.7 quake in 2009, which was followed by a similar magnitude earthquake approximately two weeks later, and a magnitude 4.4 quake in 2011.

Following the October 3 earthquake, Geoscience Australia's Hadi Ghasemi described it as one of the strongest tremors in the region in the past two decades. He noted that while the shaking was widely felt near the epicenter, no major damage was expected. A magnitude 3.1 aftershock was recorded nearby shortly after the initial October tremor. Residents at the time described the experience, with one Caulfield South resident telling The Age, "The windows shook and the whole house creaked. I couldn't sleep after that one. Scary, scary." Another resident in Armadale reported waking up to her apartment shaking.