Photo credit: Dronie Ward
Adelaide Hills residents were rattled on Sunday evening when a magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck Mount Barker at 10pm. While small in scale, the shallow quake — recorded at a depth of just 2km — was widely felt across the region, with locals flooding social media to share their experiences.
From Parkindula to Prospect Hill, the tremor made its presence known. “Felt it in Parkindula,” one commenter wrote, while another added, “Hahndorf was strong.” In Meadows, it was clear enough to be noticed, and one Mount Barker resident thought “it was a truck on Hartman Rd.” Others chimed in from Flaxley, Blackwood, Strathalbyn, Bridgewater and Littlehampton, where people reported both hearing and feeling the quake.
Although minor, Sunday night’s shake is the latest in a string of earthquakes across South Australia in recent weeks. On August 13th, a magnitude 3.6 quake jolted residents off the coast of Kangaroo Island just after 1am. Its epicentre, north of the central town of Parndana, was recorded at a depth of 10km. Geoscience Australia received 44 felt reports, with more than a dozen coming in within 30 minutes of the tremor.
That quake stirred sleepers as far away as Adelaide. “I am in the Adelaide Hills and woke at 1am. Now I know why,” one resident posted. Others described rattling glass doors in Victor Harbor and a “rattle noise” that woke them in Lobethal. Still, some further afield reported they “slept straight through it.”
The Kangaroo Island event followed a magnitude 2.0 tremor recorded southwest of Hawker earlier that same week, marking South Australia’s fifth earthquake in a matter of days.
While none of the recent quakes have caused damage, they’ve sparked plenty of conversation and curiosity among locals. For now, experts will continue to monitor the seismic activity, as South Australians remain on alert for the next rumble beneath their feet.
For info on the latest Australian earthquakes, head to earthquakes.ga.gov.au.
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