Did You Feel the Earthquake on Norfolk Island?
26 July 2024
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There was an earthquake felt across Norfolk Island on Wednesday evening about 6pm, on 24 July 2024. It was a good jolt which made our house creak and shake. My husband and I thought the earthquake must have been close to Norfolk Island, and we searched the internet during the evening and following day and the only information regarding the event was recording an unconfirmed Earthquake or Seismic like event.
The Earthquake has been recorded as unknown 3? magnitude, estimated 10km depth and 6 miles from Kingston, Norfolk Island. The Seismic antipode 29.0437`N / 12.053`W.
“A possible earthquake might have occurred near Kingston, Norfolk Island, in the afternoon of Wednesday, Jul 24, 2024 at around 5.46 pm local time (GMT +11). Details of the quake (if it is one) are so far unknown until confirmed by a seismic agency, but the event was reported felt. We will update the status of the event on this page as soon as more information becomes available.”
“So far, we have received 9 reports for this unconfirmed quake from Australia. Out of these, 7 people indicated they felt it. The quake was reported to have been felt in up to approx. 1.9–4 km (1.2–2.5 mi) distance.”
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On Thursday I emailed National Earthquake Alerts Center Geoscience Australia
for more information regarding this week’s earthquake and I received a quick reply.
The Facebook Norfolk Island Noticeboard page was busy with many around Norfolk Island chatting about the dinnertime earthquake, some describing it as a vehicle hitting their house or a tree falling down, and others thought someone was shaking their seat for a joke. Another person imagined a giant bush rat on their roof, and there were also others who did not feel the earthquake.
We have often asked if locals have experienced quakes and the only significant quake the locals have told me about was in the 1950s and I have been told that this may have damaged some chimneys. Another friend told me that “a lot of Islanders felt the Chilean earthquake back in the 1960s. He was at the Sunday School hall at a night function, and everyone there felt it”.
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I searched the internet for information about the earthquake history of Norfolk Island and found this information. The historic, 1950s quake happened almost seventy years ago on the 13 January 1956 and was recorded as 5.8 magnitude and was only 47 km from Norfolk Island and 15km depth.
The online earthquake tracking site records quakes, it is interesting to see there were numerous quakes in 1981 and 1982. Eight years ago, on the 16 June 2008 and there was an earthquake recorded as 4.9 and 10km depth and was Northeast of the Norfolk Island.
Recent Norfolk Island earthquake records:
9 June 2023 magnitude 5.0 and 10km depth
19 May 2023 magnitude 7.7 located 707km NNE from Kingston
17 January 2019 magnitude 4.3 located 186km WSW from Kingston
26 May 2016 magnitude 4.6 located 71km NW from Kingston
My husband felt the 26 May 2016 quake, which was at 2:12pm local time and was recorded as a shallow quake. The Official site states: Date and Time UTC: 26 May 2016 @ 03:12:43 Location N of Norfolk Island. (Reported felt) Coordinates: -28.507, 167.524 Depth: 0 km Magnitude Mb: 4.8 Potentially Tsunami genic: No.
Check out this link to view the geoscientific information.
http://earthquaketrack.com/r/norfolk-island-australia/recent
Geoscience Australia
http://www.ga.gov.au/earthquakes/initRecentQuakes.do
http://www.ga.gov.au/earthquakes/getQuakeDetails.do?quakeId=3823179&orid=1317992&sta=N/A
Geo Net, New Zealand
GeoNet: Quakes - Weak and above
BOM Australia, Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre
Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre (bom.gov.au)
Before moving to Norfolk Island, we lived in New Zealand. Growing up in the Hawkes Bay area, it was a normal event to feel earthquakes. I have heard the rumble noise before an earthquake arrives. I have watched the ground move as though a wave was rippling along. It is a little scary to watch power poles move or trees sway as though it was windy. In 1990 there was a large quake and our children thought it was like a trampoline. My parents survived the 1931 Napier earthquake and my Mother told terrifying stories of her family’s experiences during the quakes and weeks and months of aftershocks that followed.
Norfolk Island is situated on the Norfolk Ridge, part of the submerged continent Zealandia, which is largely an underwater continent. Norfolk Island had a volcanic beginning approximately two to three million years ago. Norfolk Island is not far from the “Pacific Rim” or “Ring of Fire”, so the chances of earthquakes and the ground moving is always possible. I often think that earthquakes let us know that the world is still developing, and the tectonic plates are certainly still moving.
I have always had a keen general interest in the earthquake and volcanic geo-science, so will keep reading books and articles to learn more about the Norfolk Island area and historic quakes also recorded during the historic convict era on Norfolk Island. I will keep an eye on the Australian Earthquake internet link. Let’s hope that there are no more Norfolk Island earthquakes for another few years.
Here are details from some of the reported earthquake. I also reported that I felt the earthquake but my reported has been shortened.
USER-REPORTS FOR THIS POSSIBLE QUAKE (9)
So far, we have received 9 reports for this unconfirmed quake from Australia. Out of these, 7 people indicated they felt it. The quake was reported to have been felt in up to approx. 1.9–4 km (1.2–2.5 mi) distance
Norfolk Island / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Time was closer to 6pm maybe 6.01pm Light Shaking % people sitting at table wihich wobbled and plates nearby rattled
Norfolk Island (1.4 km ENE of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Just a very slight “Bump”. Made a noise like someone had ran into my house.. more like a jolt than a shake…
4 km NNW of epicenter [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 5-10 s : I was on the toilet in the main bathroom. The toilet started rolling so I grabbed the vanity to steady myself. There was no doubt it was an earthquake. It was just before 6pm Norfolk island time 24 July 2024.
Norfolk Island South Pacific (0 km ESE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / very short : On the lounge on the 2nd storey it felt like someone had walked very heavily past the lounge but no-one else in the house had moved. Felt by several people across the 2nd story but not felt on the ground floor.
Douglas Drive Norfolk Island / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Sitting on lounge and felt a jolt
Burnt Pine, Norfolk Island / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s
Norfolk Island / not felt
Norfolk Island / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Weak shaking
Norfolk Island / not felt
Betty Matthews
26 July 2024