A 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck near Rawson, a small town about 150km east of Melbourne, at 1.32am on Friday. Geoscience Australia reported that more than 9,000 people had felt the tremor by 8.30am, including many in the city’s eastern and southern suburbs.
This is the second earthquake to hit the region in a month, following a 3.8-magnitude quake in Melbourne’s north-west in late May. Senior seismologist Jonathan Bathgate said it is part of an aftershock sequence from the 2021 magnitude-5.9 quake near Mansfield, and further tremors are possible.
Elodie Borleis from the Seismology Research Centre said there have been no reports of damage, and the increase in felt tremors is normal. The Rawson earthquake follows a 2.4-magnitude quake on the Mornington Peninsula on 3 June, a 3.8-magnitude quake in Sunbury on 29 May, a 4.0-magnitude quake on 28 May, and a 2.3-magnitude quake near Ferntree Gully on 16 May.
