Buckled railway lines caused by the 1968 Meckering, WA, earthquake fault. Mr Douglass was assigned to two army engineers from Holsworthy to assess building damage, predominantly in Hunter and Tudor Streets. And "astonishing" is an appropriate way to describe the Newcastle earthquake. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Damage slight. What Skills do we Need to Understand this Event? Felt quite noticeably by persons indoors, especially on upper floors of buildings. Welcome to Geoscience Australia's new website Read more and provide feedback, Home Here are the top 10 worst Australian earthquakes in modern times, ranked is by cost, magnitude and damage. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, "M 6.0 - 111 km SSW of Nabire, Indonesia", "M 4.2 - 0 km E of Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania", "M 4.6 - 2 km W of Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania", "M 5.6 - 7km NNE of Simi Valley, California", "M 6.0 - 98 km SW of Baturaja, Indonesia", "M 5.1 - 6km NNE of Chatsworth, California", "M 6.2 - 13 km SSW of Bundibugyo, Uganda", "M 5.4 - 4 km WSW of ?kuchi-shinohara, Japan", "M 6.9 - 66 km WSW of Kotabumi, Indonesia", "M 5.4 - 0 km N of Fond Bassin Bleu, Haiti", "M 6.9 - 6 km ENE of Rizo de Oro, Mexico", "M 6.4 - 181 km SSW of Corinto, Nicaragua", "M 5.2 - 3km WNW of Panorama City, California", "M 6.7 - 63 km WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea", "M 6.7 - 165 km WNW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea", "M 6.0 - 99 km NNW of Buluang, Philippines", "M 6.9 - 44 km SSE of Suncho Corral, Argentina", "M 6.1 - 298 km W of Pariaman, Indonesia", "M 6.2 - 46 km E of Rio Claro, Trinidad and Tobago", "M 6.9 - 18 km NW of Colonia Dora, Argentina", "M 6.5 - 133 km SSW of Padang, Indonesia", "M 6.1 - 144 km SSW of Padang, Indonesia", "M 5.9 - 6 km SW of Balagon, Philippines", "M 6.3 - 4 km W of San Cristbal, Mexico", "M 6.0 - 15 km WNW of Tirhanimne, Morocco", "M 6.5 - 74 km W of Yenangyaung, Myanmar", "M 6.0 - 44 km SSE of San Cristbal, Venezuela", "M 7.8 - 249 km SSW of Kencong, Indonesia", "M 6.6 - 235 km SSW of Kencong, Indonesia", "M 6.2 - 18 km ENE of Rapu-Rapu, Philippines", "M 6.2 - New Britain region, Papua New Guinea", "M 6.2 - 221 km SSW of Gambiran Satu, Indonesia", "M 6.1 - 201 km SSW of Gambiran Satu, Indonesia", "M 6.8 - 56 km NW of Oxford, New Zealand", "M 6.0 - 40 km N of Methven, New Zealand", "M 6.3 - Afghanistan-Tajikistan-Pakistan region", "M 6.5 - 108 km SSW of La Barra de Colotepec, Mexico", "M 6.5 - 138 km NE of Lospalos, Timor Leste", "M 6.0 - 135 km WNW of Buala, Solomon Islands", "M 5.3 - 9 km WSW of Ellalong, Australia", "M 6.5 - 46 km NNW of El Hoyo, Argentina", "M 6.0 - 25 km WSW of Novaya Chara, Russia", "M 6.2 - 112 km SE of Lata, Solomon Islands", "M 6.2 - 218 km NNW of Maubara, Timor Leste", "M 6.2 - 36 km SSE of Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Russia", "M 2.7 - 9 km S of Carletonville, South Africa", "M 7.1 - 121 km W of Ferndale, California", "M 5.8 - 4 km S of Demir Hisar, North Macedonia", "M 6.1 - 4 km S of Carter Springs, Nevada", "M 6.0 - east of the South Sandwich Islands", "M 6.1 - 204 km SE of Lorengau, Papua New Guinea", "M 6.2 - 206 km WSW of Baha Solano, Colombia", "M 6.0 Nuclear Explosion - 147 km SSW of Turpan, China", "M 6.8 - 225 km SSE of Sofifi, Indonesia", "M 6.4 - 15 km E of Gigmoto, Philippines", "M 6.1 - 43 km N of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea", "M 6.0 - 10 km ENE of Alumin, Argentina", "M 6.2 - 63 km NNW of Sinabang, Indonesia", "M 6.5 - 114 km NNW of Batang, Indonesia", "M 6.0 - 94 km NNW of San Antonio de los Cobres, Argentina", "M 6.0 - 23 km WNW of Antofagasta, Chile", "M 6.1 - 38 km WNW of Malango, Solomon Islands", "M 6.5 - 83 km NNE of Opotiki, New Zealand", "M 5.4 - 7 km WNW of Fields Landing, California", "M 7.8 - off the east coast of Honshu, Japan", "M 6.3 - Pagan region, Northern Mariana Islands", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_earthquakes_in_1994&oldid=1146070932, Five people were injured and 56 houses were damaged in, Nine people were killed, 300 others were injured, and 550 houses were damaged in, Thirty-two houses were damaged in the village of, At least nine people were killed, including two by a landslide, several were injured and most buildings were damaged in, Six people were killed and many were injured in, At least two people were killed, fifty were injured and damage occurred in, Four people were killed and several homes were damaged in. Foreshock of the 7.0 quake eight seconds later. The quake was caused by the sudden rupture of a previously undocumented blind thrust fault. The third major earthquake to occur in the state in 23 years (after the 1971 San Fernando Valley and 1989 San FranciscoOakland earthquakes), the Northridge earthquake was the states most destructive one since the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the costliest one in U.S. history. But the loss of 12 lives on the day, and a hospital patient whose death the next day was later acknowledged as quake-related, was by no means the worst. Keep up to date with all the local news - sign up here. Part of a sequence of c. 25 quakes of magnitude 5.0 or greater in the Canning Basin area of northern Western Australia between 1970 and 1982. If the earthquake had happened later in the evening, the number of casualties could have been much higher as thousands of people were expected to attend a Split Enz concert at the Newcastle Workers Club. Of these, 2800 records are available as electronic full-text records, digitised images, and sound and video files. In the end, it took years for the visual impacts of the quake to disappear, but for those who lived through it, the memories are never too far from the surface. Considering the intensity, damage was small. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. "We went in Beaumont Street, saw the carnage, the collapsed lift well on the Greater Building Society and knew it was an earthquake," he said. Coast Of . Two people died under the debris, a third died that day in hospital, and at least 20 others were taken to hospital, often after being helped out of the rubble by passers-by. The earthquake caused 13 fatalities; 160 people were injured. km region, One aftershock (M 2.1) was recorded on 29 December 1989. In 2018, Geoscience Australia released a new National Seismic Hazard Assessment for Australia the NSHA18. Mr Matthews said it was a "really big thing for me to go to the Earthquake Relief Concert". There was an average of 73 deaths per day due to IHD and ASCVD during January 1 to 16, 1994; this increased to 125 on January 17, 1994 (day of NEQ) and then decreased to 57 deaths per day from January 18 to 31 (p < 0.00001 for before vs. day of NEQ, for after vs. day of NEQ and for before vs. after NEQ) ( Fig. damage worth over $1,000; $2,100 in 2018 adjusted for inflation) caused to 10,000 homes and 42 schools (structural damage), within the immediate Newcastle area. Heavy furniture overturned. It killed 13 people, injured more than 160 and damaged 50,000 buildings, making it one of Australia's worst natural disasters. [7], Songs about the Newcastle earthquake include. Fifty thousand building were damaged of those, 40,000 were homes. Most significantly, the state created the California Earthquake Authority, a publicly managed but privately funded organization offering basic residential earthquake insurance. This was one of the most significant natural disasters in Australia's history. The Newcastle earthquake of Thursday, December 28, 1989, was the biggest tragedy in terms of impact, and its injury toll, at more than 160, was certainly the highest. Australian Geographic Society Expeditions, experts say we are rattled by about one small quake a day, revised the magnitude scores of Australias earthquakes, On this day: Newcastle earthquake strikes, The Australian town that wont stop shaking, Australian spiders: the 10 most dangerous, Lorikeets: Four things you didnt know about them, Entries are now closed for the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition 2023. Twenty-eight people were injured and many buildings were damaged at, Two people were injured and some buildings were slightly damaged in, This page was last edited on 22 March 2023, at 16:17. Omissions? Editorial writer, general reporter, industrial relations, industry and coal. "It was probably one of the more dramatic failures in a building that we saw in the city. It caused an estimated $4 billion worth of damage to 35,000 homes, 147 schools and 3000 buildings. Three people were killed, 100 were injured and 62 villages were damaged or destroyed in the Firuzabad-, Two people died when a stone wall collapsed in, Five houses were destroyed and between 30-60 percent others were damaged in. Incredibly, though, a near-repeat accident happened north of Kempsey just six days before the quake, when two interstate coaches collided head-on, killing 35 people and injuring 41. Newcastle earthquake stories of tragedy, courage and community revealed in exhibition ABC Newcastle / By Anthony Scully Posted Thu 26 Dec 2019 at 11:31am, updated Thu 26 Dec 2019 at 1:21pm Jane Tickle's brother Phillip Gascoigne was killed doing demolition work at Junction Public School. ADVERTISEMENT On this anniversary, The Associated Press is making available this story from Jan. 17, 1994, the day of the earthquake . 160 people were killed and 330 were injured, mainly due to the shallow depth of the earthquake. 1994-08-06 11:03:51 UTC at 11:03 August 06, 1994 UTC Location: Epicenter at -32.956, 151.228 18.2 km from Cessnock (11.2 miles) Near S.E. Quakes Near Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia Now, Today, and Recently. An earthquake is the sudden release of energy and ground shaking resulting from rocks breaking and moving along a fault line under stress from plate tectonic forces. Damage slight in specially designed structures; considerable damage in ordinary substantial buildings with partial collapse. I was told to stay with him to preserve the scene. Standing motor cars rocked noticeably. Some dishes, windows broken. WE'RE living now with bushfire after bushfire, but the closing months of 1989 also had more than their share of disaster. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the elders past and present. at. It is an aftershock of the 6.8 quake the day before. Julie Baird said, while some of the images such as Ms Tickle are sad, the images represent how everyone's earthquake experience was different. Australia has experienced few big earthquakes, but some of them have caused great devastation. Felt only by a few persons at rest,especially on upper floors of buildings. Although houses and other buildings were damaged in outlying areas, the bulk of the destruction was in the Newcastle CBD and Hamilton, where most of the streets sit on sandy flats and drained swamps that had been the mouth of the Hunter River in prehistoric times. This increased the rate of movement in some structures, highlighting leaks in buildings previously thought to be structurally sound after the earthquake. Seismometers measure the intensity and duration of ground shaking (i.e., The arrival times of these seismic waves detected at three or more seismometers, and the speed at which they travel, are used to determine the location of the earthquake, The size of an earthquake (or its magnitude) is related to the energy released when the fault ruptured. Experts say soft sediments may have intensified the shaking, the strength of which older buildings could not withstand. Part of a sequence of c. 25 quakes of magnitude 5.0 or greater in the Canning Basin area of northern Western Australia between 1970 and 1982. A significant portion of the transportation system around Los Angeles was shut down, as sections of major freeways (including the Santa Monica Freeway and the Golden State Freeway) collapsed and numerous bridges sustained heavy damage. Damage to the Seal Rocks lighthouse. To view images and find our more go to our Newcastle Earthquake Online Collection. Minor damage reported in, Significant damage in Dalton and Gunning; minor cracks in some buildings in. "The photo that I'm holding in the exhibition is a photograph of the old Junction Motor Inn," Mr Douglass said. Share. The impact on infrastructure was widespread, with damage caused to roads, bridges and power lines. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Theearthquake's epicentre was approximately 15 kilometres from Newcastle's central business district. Felt reports following the 17 January 2019 (UTC time) ML 3.1 earthquake near Sutton, NSW. A motorcycle police officer died when his vehicle plunged off of a just-collapsed section of freeway. Felt throughout North East Victoria and Southern New South Wales, but not in Melbourne. [2] Although the earthquake did not measure very high on the Richter scale, it was shallow and that is why it shook Newcastle more than a deeper earthquake. Nine people were killed and many more were trapped beneath the rubble. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. In response, the state created the California Earthquake Authority as a publicly managed, primarily privately funded organization providing basic residential earthquake coverage. Standing motor cars may rock slightly. Geoscience Australia said the country had not experienced a magnitude 7 . On Friday, October 20, a laden semi-trailer veered to the wrong side of the highway near Grafton, and sheared head-on into an interstate coach, killing 21 people and injuring 22, making it the nation's worst road accident by death toll. The bus drivers quickly returned to work, running shuttles to empty the city of shoppers and workers as the rescue crews, the army and the SES moved in. Pendulum clocks may stop. 30 years on Commemorating the 1989 Newcastle Earthquake. Unstable objects overturned. Explore The 1989 Newcastle Earthquake Online History Unit which aims to engage NSW school students in Year 3-4 and beyond in the study of history. The Newcastle earthquake on Thursday 28 December 1989 resulted in 12 deaths, hundreds of injuries, and serious damage to, or destruction of, thousands of homes and buildings. For Jane Tickle the death of her brother Phillip Gascoigne, as a 24-year-old rigger in October 1990, was a tragic blow. It integrates predictions of earthquake ground-shaking from theoretical models and MMI observations from the 1989 Newcastle earthquake, Mapped MMI data points following the 1989 MW 5.4 Newcastle earthquake. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, Newcastle, New South Wales, December 1989, AJEM Apr 2014 - Earthquake preparedness in South Australia: recommendations based on previous earthquakes in Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America, AJEM Oct 2013 - The Pilot Impacts Portal: experience in building an emergency management information sharing tool, Newcastle Earthquake 1989 findings and recommendations | NSW State Coroner. Moderate shaking felt around the epicentre and nearby areas. This small town, 115km east of Perth, was destroyed by the second-strongest quake recorded in Australia. And for a fair while after December 28, 1989, that was pretty much the truth. Some guessed it was an earthquake straight away, but others thought it was a bomb, or a train accident, a major mine subsidence or an explosion at the BHP steelworks, which quickly vented its line of coke ovens, the massive plumes of flame and smoke visible from kilometres away. All dates are listed according to UTC time. At magnitude 6.6, the largest of these is considered Australias biggest quake. If the epicentre of the quake is at a shallow depth and is under a city, it can cause terrible damage. It is important to remember that large earthquakes can occur anywhere in Australia, and without warning, even in regions of low levels historical seismicity. New South Wales Government, 'Newcastle earthquake 28 December 1989,' website viewed 14 June 2011. The earthquake caused 13 fatalities; 160 people were injured. Additional damage was caused in Obi Island and 19 people were injured. It lasted for 48 seconds it resulted in the city going up in flames. The strongest quake in the goldfields region for 50 years, it shut down the local mines temporarily, including the Super Pit, the largest open cut mine in Australia. Three people were killed and 13 others were injured at the, Many people were injured and some damage occurred in, One person was killed, 52 others were injured and nearly 500 buildings, bridges, and piers were damaged on, Aftershock of the 8.3 event on October 4. The extent of the property damage in an area so well-prepared for earthquakes was staggering. Two buildings and three other structures including the hospital were damaged, with a total cost of $2.5 million. Around 6 o 'clock the flames became more forceful and at 8 o 'clock they made their way into north beach which spread to the . Felt strongly throughout Gippsland and South Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne. It was the first earthquake in Australia to have associated fatalities with two people suffering heart attacks. I was too young to see them the first time around.". Ms Tickle spoke about her brother earlier this year for the exhibition Earthquake Then and Now at the Newcastle Museum. 25 buildings in Cadoux were damaged. "I think that approach worked and that was Julie's insight to implement that, so it was good.". Minor damage in Cowes, Flinders and Shoreham. The second-most damaging earthquake in WAs recorded history injured one person Since this time, the region has experienced five earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or larger; the most recent being a magnitude ML 5.1 (MW 4.7) earthquake near Ellalong in August 1994. A TV interview was under way when the quake struck, capturing the impact - and the startled "holy f . We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. The timing of the earthquake (early morning during a federal holiday) is thought to have prevented a higher death toll, as most residents were in their beds, rather than on failed freeways or in other collapsed structures (such as office buildings or parking lots). "There was a nice little moment where they were, potentially for some of them, looking at the image of themselves on that day for the first time in maybe 25 or 30 years. The percentage of buildings completely destroyed was relatively low in light of the strength of the ground motions. [2] Another three people were crushed to death when masonry from building faades collapsed onto awnings on Beaumont Street, Hamilton, an inner-city suburb of Newcastle. Stories. It is impossible to accurately predict exactly when and where an earthquake will occur, but the history of earthquake activity in a region can tell us a lot about its potential risk for future earthquakes. Sporadic damage, most of it minimal, was caused further out, in the Coalfields. The 1989 Newcastle earthquake was an intraplate earthquake that occurred in Newcastle, New South Wales on Thursday 28 December. This is a list of earthquakes in 1994. Remarkably caused little damage, despite the intensity of the quake. Receive great savings and a gift when you subscribe to our magazine, Discoveries of albino animals have a unique ability to capture the public imagination, often leading to flurries of social media and news coverage. For this reason, not all Australian earthquakes have estimates of, The Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale is commonly used to describe the damage and felt effects of an earthquake at a given location, An interactive history of Australian Earthquakes can be found in Geoscience. The Newcastle, New South Wales, earthquake of 28 December 1989, Kevin McCue, Vaughan Wesson & Gary Gibson, Journal of Australian Geology & Geophysics. Field mapping and satellite observations following moderate-to-large magnitude earthquakes can tell us about the extent and effects of ground deformation. km region, an area equivalent to over 160 times the size of the Sydney Harbour, The damage was most severe on soft sediments from the Hunter River, with shaking intensity of MMI VIII observed at many locations, Earthquakes are detected by instruments called seismometers, Geoscience Australia operate a network of about 100 seismometers located around Australia. Adelaide man in his 20s in hospital with meningococcal disease, Two charged after death of man outside NSW hospital, Dolly Parton, Eminem, Ringo Starr feature in Aerosmith farewell tour video announcement. Following the death of a woman in Broadmeadow from earthquake-related shock, the final death toll was raised to 13.[2]. Felt by nearly everyone; many awakened. Total damage $36million. "Yet another disaster, I'm soaking up the punishment," Waller said to reporters outside Newcastle Workers Club the day after the earthquake. Geoscience Australia, 'Newcastle earthquake 28 December 1989,' 22 June 2004, website viewed 14 June 2011. The earthquake struck in the middle of an interview by a local television station NBN with a union representative. Most of those awnings had been originally supported by posts, removed in the 1920s as transport moved from horses to cars. Felt across North-eastern Victoria, 5.0 aftershock two days later. Caused alarm along the Mid-North Coast. (Image: Geoscience Australia), Five people were injured and 1000 homes damaged in this earthquake, which hit.