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🇦🇺 Australia /Disasters & Emergencies

Western NSW rocked by two earthquakes in the space of 150 minutes

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Two earthquakes, magnitudes 3.4 and 3.2, struck western New South Wales within 150 minutes on Friday.
  • The larger quake was centered near the Newmont Cadia Gold Mine south of Orange, with about 100 people reporting they felt the tremor.
  • This follows a magnitude-4.5 earthquake in April that suspended operations at the Cadia mine and trapped employees, highlighting a recent increase in seismic activity in the region.

Western New South Wales was shaken by two earthquakes within a 150-minute span on Friday morning. The first, a magnitude-3.4 tremor, occurred around 5:45 a.m. near the Newmont Cadia Gold Mine site, located south of Orange. Geoscience Australia reported that approximately 100 individuals from areas including Orange, Millthorpe, Blayney, and Oberon felt the shaking, which originated 1 kilometer underground.

It was like a truck coming towards you, but a very big truck.

— Bruce ReynoldsThe Blayney Shire Mayor described the sensation of the magnitude-3.4 earthquake he experienced.

Blayney Shire Mayor Bruce Reynolds, who resides 12 kilometers from the epicenter, described the experience as lasting about five seconds, likening it to "a very big truck coming towards you." Earlier, around 3:20 a.m., a magnitude-3.2 earthquake was recorded northwest of Wilcannia. This quake was detected by a remote station near Mutawintji National Park, with only two people reporting feeling it.

The Central West earthquake occurred just two months after underground operations at the Cadia mine were suspended for five weeks. That incident, a magnitude-4.5 earthquake on April 14, trapped employees in underground refuge chambers for over 10 hours. The April quake was the largest recorded for the Orange region, with tremors felt as far away as Sydney, Canberra, and Wollongong. Prior to that, the previous record for the region was a magnitude-4.3 earthquake in 2017, which also led to a precautionary evacuation and operational halt at Cadia for several months.

We are quite experienced with earthquakes and that big 4.5 was sort of five to 10 times more violent, the house shook quite abruptly.

— Bruce ReynoldsThe Mayor compared the intensity of the recent quake to a larger one experienced in April.

Mayor Reynolds noted that Friday's quake was significantly less intense than the April event. "We are quite experienced with earthquakes and that big 4.5 was sort of five to 10 times more violent, the house shook quite abruptly," he said. He also pointed out that this is the third earthquake in close proximity to the Cadia mine, raising questions about the recent seismic activity in the area. The ABC has reached out to the mine's operator, Newmont, for comment.

This is the third earthquake in very close proximity, looking where the pinpoint is, which is very close to the Cadia mine.

— Bruce ReynoldsHe noted the proximity of the recent seismic events to the Cadia mine.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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