The capital Canberra shakes awake

The Canberra Times reported a minor earthquake near Canberra, the capital of Australia, which shook residents awake at 5:09am on Friday, April 20, 2012. The quake measured 3.7 on the Richter Scale with its epicentre about 40 kilometres west of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), halfway between Canberra and Tumut.

Geoscience Australia received reports of the quake from people in Yass in the north (65 kilometres from Canberra), Batlow in the west (70 kilometres away), Clyde Mountain in the east (139 kilometres away), and Gordon in the south (25 kilometres away). Emergency services received a few telephone calls, but no damage had been reported.

Canberra is generally not susceptible to earthquakes, although moderate seismicity occurs north of the capital near Gundaroo (44 kilometres from Canberra). There have only been four earthquakes in the region over the past decade, with the largest tremor recorded of magnitude 4.2 in February 1988.

Photo: Seismograph of Canberra earthquake on April 20, 2012, from Geoscience Australia website

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