Magnitude 2.8 earthquake on the Mornington Peninsula

A SMALL earthquake shook homes on the Mornington Peninsula this afternoon, with the tremor felt in Mt Martha, Safety Beach and Bittern.

A SMALL earthquake has struck Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

The 2.8 magnitude quake hit around 70km southeast of Melbourne, with the epicentre near Merricks and Balnarring.

FRIGHTENING SUNBURY ROAD RAGE FOOTAGE

POWER STATION DEMOLITION FLOP

Geoscience Australia recorded the event at 12.25pm today.

People from Mt Martha, Mt Eliza, Safety Beach, Mornington and Bittern said they felt the tremor.

Ashli Beards, from Mt Eliza, said it made her whole house shake.

Geoscience Australia’s map noting the epicentre of the small earthquake on Mornington Peninsula.

DID YOU FEEL IT? LET US KNOW BELOW

“My windows rattled in Bittern,” Nicole Banks-Nolo wrote.

Jude Latta said he felt it in Safety Beach.

“I knew it. The house vibrated and sounded like thunder,” he said.

Ann-Kristin Skogstad said she thought it was an explosion.

Tania Collins Stinson said she couldn’t feel it in Hastings, but her pets did.

“My animals must have (hfelt it). They were acting weird,” she said.

The SES has not received any reports of damage.

Geoscience Australia seismologist Marco Maldoni said the quake‘s epicentre was about 10km below Balnarring.

“It was quite a shallow earthquake. We have not had any reports of damage and neither do we expect any for such a small earthquake,’’ he said.

Mr Maldoni said Geoscience Australia data showed there had been 13 earthquakes — ranging from 1.6 to 3.1 — within an 80km radius of Balnarring over the last 10 years.

“There’s a low level of seismic activity across Australia,’’ he said.

“The Mornington Peninsula, the Gippsland area, the south west of Western Australian and the Flinders Ranges in South Australia tend to be the most active areas from a seismological point of view.’’

Mr Maldoni said today’s minor earthquake had been caused by plates moving in the earth as part of an active faultline.