1968 Meckering earthquake

The Western Australian town of Meckering was struck by an earthquake on 14 October 1968. The earthquake occurred at 10:58:52 local time, 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.

1968 Meckering earthquake

Salisbury Homestead one of the buildings destroyed in the earthquake
UTC time	1968-10-14 02:58:52
ISC event	815895
USGS-ANSS	ComCat
Local date	14 October 1968 (1968-10-14)
Local time	10:58:52
Magnitude	6.9 Mw[1]
Depth	15 km (9 mi)[1]
Epicenter	31.57°S 117.07°E / -31.57; 117.07[1]
Fault	Meckering Fault[2]
Type	Reverse[2]
Total damage	$2.2 million[3]
Max. intensity	MMI IX (Violent)[3]
Casualties	20–28 injured[4][5]

Earthquake

The shallow fault was about 32 kilometres (20 mi) 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 1.5 metres (5 ft) high with overthrusting to the west of up to 2 metres (7 ft) and strike-slip displacement of up to 0.9 metres (3 ft).^[4]

Damage

The earthquake affected structures in Perth,^[6] 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.^[7]

Salisbury Homestead

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 Snooke 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.^[8][9][10]

See also

• List of earthquakes in 1968
• List of earthquakes in Australia
• South West seismic zone