Earthquake measuring 3.8 on the Richter scale rocks Melbourne
An earthquake has hit the heart of Melbourne and residents reported shaking just before midnight.
The quake struck at about 11:47 p.m. Sunday with an estimated magnitude of 3.8 on the Richter scale near Sunbury, on the northwestern edge of the city.
But residents in the CBD and central Melbourne claimed they could feel the tremor.
Dr. Dee Ninis, an earthquake geologist, tweeted, “A preliminary M4.0 earthquake near Sunbury-Mickleham-Cragieburn about 5 minutes ago, widely felt in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.”
Residents flocked to social media to share their experience of the quake.
Journalist and author Sasha Petrova said, “My house shook so violently that I thought several bombs had exploded.”
Ms Petrova said it didn’t feel like the ‘shaking of an earthquake’, but rather ‘just two violent one-second jolts close together, knocking some books off the shelf’.
The earthquake struck at about 11:47 PM on Sunday with an estimated magnitude of 4.5 on the Richter scale near Sunbury, 40 km northwest of the city
But residents who live in Melbourne’s CBD said they could feel their apartment walls vibrate
A shocked Twitter user said he was “woken up” by the quake.
‘The whole house was shaking! he said.
‘My phone alerted me with safety information, shook up got up to check on my family, alhamdulillah everything ok!
Another Twitter user wrote: ‘Melbourne earthquake felt like a massive explosion.’
A Facebook user who lives on Phillip Island south of Melbourne said even their windows rattled.
The people living in the affected area with Android phones received automatic alerts saying, “Expect light vibrations. First estimate M4.5 about 13 miles away.’
Some people’s phones offered survival tips, including suggestions to buy a pair of shoes, check for the smell of gas, and advice to avoid damaged buildings.
Another said his phone received an earthquake warning and his “house was shaking here in Yarraville.”
More to come.