Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake Shakes Western Australia—Hundreds Woken At 2 A.m.
At two in the morning, a powerful earthquake in the middle Wheatbelt woke up people in Perth.
The short depth of the earthquake increased its force, causing beds to tremble and nerves to jangle across the city.
Wyalkatchem, which is 192 kilometres northeast of Perth, was the location of the 4.8 magnitude earthquake.
Because of its shallow depth, the earthquake was felt closer to the epicentre than it would have been if it had been deeper.
Most of the hundreds of reports that have been sent to Geoscience Australia so far have been from people in Perth who said that their beds swayed during the tremor.
“It lasted about 2–5 seconds, enough to rock my bed as if someone was beside it physically rocking the frame,” said one resident.
According to one resident of East Perth, the experience was extraordinary.
