Updated ,first published
The biggest earthquake to hit the state in three years abruptly has woken sleepers in regional Victoria and rattled Melburnians in the early hours of Saturday.
The magnitude 4.8 tremor was recorded by Geoscience Australia just after 2am with an epicentre six kilometres north-east of the South Gippsland town of Korumburra, about 103 kilometres south-east of Melbourne.
Seismology Research Centre chief scientist Adam Pascale has warned the seismic activity is far from over.
He has recorded dozens of aftershocks, the largest hitting the scale at a magnitude of 3.1 at 2.56am.
“I can see [aftershocks] popping off every couple of minutes and they’ll probably go on for weeks,” he said.
“There’s potential for another of similar, or potentially larger, magnitude in the first few days or weeks afterwards.”
More than 16,000 reports of the initial quake have already been lodged with GeoScience Australia.
The federal government agency reported the tremor had a depth of 10 kilometres.
Victorians across the state were shaken awake as far as Newport in the west and Whittlesea in the north-east.
The Victoria State Emergency Service also confirmed the tremor and alerted crews.
A community information notice was published on VicEmergency and reported the earthquake occurred at 2.01am.
“There is no immediate threat to the community and no action is required,” it said.
More recently, in August last year, hundreds of people were shaken awake by a magnitude 3.2 earthquake on the Mornington Peninsula.
Experts have previously told The Age these tremors were part of normal seismic activity in the aftermath of the September 2021 earthquake.
“Tonight’s earthquake is a timely reminder to know what to do when an earthquake occurs,” the SES said.
“Drop to the ground, cover under a sturdy piece of furniture and protect your head and neck [and] hold on until the shaking stops.”
Anyone in need of assistance is advised to call the SES on 132 500.
More to come
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Lachlan Abbott is a crime reporter at The Age. He was previously a city reporter and covered breaking news.Connect via email.From our partners
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
