| 1968 Meckering earthquake | |
| Timestamp: | 1968-10-14 02:58:52 |
| Isc-Event: | 815895 |
| Anss-Url: | iscgem815895 |
| Local-Time: | 10:58:52 |
| Magnitude: | 6.5 |
| Depth: | 150NaN0 |
| Location: | -31.57°N 117.07°W |
| Fault: | Meckering Fault |
| Damages: | $2.2 million |
| Casualties: | 20–28 injured |
The Western Australian town of Meckering was struck by an earthquake on 14 October 1968. The earthquake occurred at, with a moment magnitude of 6.5 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Total damage amounted to $2.2 million with 20–28 injured.
The shallow fault was about long around the western side of the town of Meckering. It damaged roads including the Great Eastern Highway, the Eastern Goldfields Railway and the Goldfields water pipeline. It formed a fault scarp up to 1.5m (04.9feet) high with overthrusting to the west of up to 2m (07feet) and strike-slip displacement of up to 0.9m (03feet).
The earthquake affected structures in Perth, the capital of Western Australia 130 km west of Meckering. It occurred in mid-morning of a public holiday, the Queen's Birthday and theatres were packed with children.
The Salisbury Homestead was built by Harry Sermon in 1904 using local stone with a timber and corrigated iron roof. The property would later be owned by the Stooke family. The earthquake destroyed the house, Alice Snooke rescued her 2-year-old daughter from the earthquake. The homestead was abandoned due to the damage and as of 2024 remains as a memorial to the event.[1] [2] [3]
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