Earthquake rocks homes in Adelaide

An earthquake has rattled Adelaide and the surrounding areas with more than 300 reports from people feeling the shocks.

Earthquake rocks homes in Adelaide

An earthquake has rocked homes in Adelaide and the surrounding areas.

According to government body Geoscience Australia (GA), the 2.7 magnitude event hit at 7.16pm on Monday with its epicentre close to the community of Hay Valley in the Adelaide Hills.

Hay Valley is located around 12km north of Mount Barker which is itself around 30km south east of Adelaide’s CBD.

It was measured has being at a depth of 10km. The Bureau of Meteorology has said there is no tsunami threat.

The Adelaide Hills is a regular location for small earthquakes – one a year ago hit almost exactly the same area.

The earthquake was felt in Adelaide. Picture: Google.

‘Felt the shock’

It was picked up by monitors in Government House in Adelaide’s CBD, at Kangaroo Island, Mount Gambier and as far away as Cobar in New South Wales.

More than 300 reports were made about the earthquake in two hours.

However, talking to Adelaide newspaperThe Advertiser, Seismological Association of Australia chief seismologist David Love said many people would not have felt it.

“Some people have felt the shock, but only weakly, given its considerable depth,” he said.

A 2.7 scale quake is relatively minor with the equivalent energy of a large lightning bolt with the likelihood of little to no damage.

Residents took to social media to share their experience of the quake.

“Small earthquake in the Adelaide Hills. It’s the rumble that freaks me out!” one said.

“Rumbles in Mount Barker! Disturbed my snoozing dogs … who then went back to sleep in 2 seconds,” said another.

The epicentre was around 12km north of Mount Barker. Picture: Google.

Same area saw quake a year ago

It was only in January that another earthquake hit South Australia – albeit further away.

A 3.5 magnitude earthquake struck Jamestown, around 200km north of Adelaide.

But quakes in the Adelaide Hills are not uncommon.

In December 2002, a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was detected close to Mount Barker. It’s epicentre was Echunga, south west of the regional centre.

In April 2023, a 3.0 quake struck just north of Mount Barker near the town of Nairne. That location is just south of Hay Valley where Monday’s tremor occurred.

According to GA, Adelaide “is one of Australia’s most seismically active areas”.

That’s despite Australia not being close to the meeting point of major tectonic plates.

Nevertheless, Adelaide sits on several fault lines including the Para Fault which runs under the city’s northern suburbs and under the CBD, and the Eden-Burnside Fault which runs under the southern and eastern suburbs.

GA has warned that, at some point, an earthquake with a magnitude of as much as 7.2 could occur in or around Adelaide which might lead to significant damage and injury. A quake that large would release more energy than the devastating Christchurch earthquake of 2011.