The remote outback town of William Creek, known for its iconic William Creek Hotel and its status as one of Australia’s smallest towns, experienced a rare and unexpected event today – a magnitude 4.1 earthquake. The tremor, which struck just before 9:30am, was centered northwest of the town at a depth of 9.3 kilometers.
While earthquakes are not unheard of in South Australia, they are relatively uncommon in this particular region. The last notable seismic event in the state occurred 27 weeks ago on April 17th, when a 4.2 magnitude earthquake rattled Jamestown, a town located in the Mid North region of South Australia, known for its historic buildings and its proximity to the Clare Valley wine region.
Despite the moderate size of Sunday’s earthquake, only one person in William Creek reported feeling the tremor. This could be attributed to the sparse population of the town, which boasts a permanent population of just six residents.
Interestingly, this earthquake followed a smaller magnitude 2.4 earthquake that occurred northwest of Cleve, on the Eyre Peninsula, just days earlier on October 18th. In the past week alone, Australia has experienced 18 earthquakes with magnitudes above 2.
This year, South Australia has had 106 quakes of magnitudes up to 4.2.
More News
