Victorians have been warned aftershocks could continue for weeks following a magnitude 4.8 earthquake that rattled the state
Geoscience Australia reported the earthquake struck about 2am on Saturday near Leongatha, about 135km southeast of Melbourne, at a depth of about 10km.
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More than 21,000 people reported feeling the tremor, including residents across Melbourne.
Monash University earthquake geologist Dr Dee Ninis warned more earthquakes could hit the region in the coming days and weeks.
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck near Leongatha about 2am on Saturday. Credit: 7NEWS
“Aftershocks associated with this morning’s earthquake are expected to continue over the next few days to weeks,” Ninis said.
“Generally, these earthquakes will become smaller and less frequent with time.
“However, as with all aftershock sequences, there is a chance that an earthquake of similar magnitude or larger may occur.”
Speaking to 7NEWS.com.au on Saturday, Ninis said more than 100 aftershocks had already been recorded, although most were too small to be felt.
“This particular one’s been quite interesting actually, because there have been quite a lot of aftershocks,” she said.
“That’s quite an active sequence.”
The earthquake struck at a depth of about 10km. Credit: 7NEWS
Ninis said significant earthquakes typically triggered a sequence of smaller tremors as the Earth’s crust adjusted to changes in stress caused by the initial quake.
“Basically what has happened is the main shock, the main earthquake, has changed the stress in the Earth’s crust in that region,” she said.
“The aftershocks are typically either a continuation of the release of that stress, or that earthquake has changed the stress in the area, so the crust is then adjusting.”
The Gippsland region has experienced similar earthquakes before.
In 2009, a magnitude 4.7 earthquake in the Korumburra area was followed about two weeks later by another of a similar magnitude, while a magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck the region in 2011.
Monash University earthquake geologist Dr Dee Ninis warned more earthquakes could hit the region in the coming days. Credit: Supplied
“There is still a possibility that there might be an earthquake of a similar magnitude to what we experienced overnight,” Ninis said.
“There’s a chance also that it might be bigger than the one we experienced overnight.”
Ninis advised people to “drop, cover and hold on” if another earthquake struck.
“If you’re indoors, drop to the ground, cover yourself with a sturdy object, like a sturdy desk, or a table, and hold on until the shaking stops,” she said.
“Reason being that a lot of injuries are from things within the house, like bookshelves and things that aren’t attached to walls.
“The other reason being that if it’s a really strong earthquake, the ground will be moving so much that you actually won’t be able to walk anywhere.”
The magnitude-4.8 earthquake was felt across Victoria. Credit: 7NEWS
Saturday’s earthquake was Victoria’s largest since October 2023, when a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck near the Great Ocean Road southwest of Melbourne.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck near Woods Point in September 2021, causing damage to buildings in Melbourne.
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