Magnitude-3.0 aftershock strikes near Leongatha, south-east of Melbourne
Geoscience Australia registered a 3.0-magnitude earthquake aftershock in south-eastern Victoria on Saturday afternoon. (Pichi Chuang: Reuters)
In short:
A 3.0-magnitude earthquake aftershock has been recorded in south-eastern Victoria, three weeks after an initial late-night quake woke thousands.
Geoscience Australia said the quake hit at a shallow depth of 5 kilometres just after 2pm, and the epicentre was at Kardella South, near Korrumburra.
A 3.0-magnitude earthquake aftershock has been recorded near the Victorian town of Korumburra, three weeks after an initial late-night quake woke thousands.
Geoscience Australia said the quake hit at a shallow depth of 5 kilometres just after 2pm, and the epicentre was at Kardella South, near the Gippsland town, which is about 135km south-east of Melbourne.
The federal agency's website cited more than 200 felt reports in the area — far fewer than the October 3 initial quake. There have been no reports of injuries or damage.
More than 200 felt reports were recorded by Geoscience Australia in the hour following the earthquake aftershock. (Geoscience Australia)
Monash University's School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment earthquake geologist Dee Ninis said aftershocks were often registered some time after an earthquake.
"Aftershocks are felt hours, days, even weeks after an initial earthquake. Because it occurred in the same area as the earthquake earlier this month and was of a lower magnitude than the initial earthquake, it is an aftershock," Dr Ninis said.
"Often there's hundreds of aftershocks after an earthquake and the majority are usually too small to be felt.
"The Gippsland Basin is a region of heightened seismic activity relative to some other regions. Back in 2009, there was a magnitude 4.7 which was followed by a similar magnitude earthquake about two weeks later. There was also a magnitude 4.4 quake in the Gippsland basin in 2011."
Dee Ninis says aftershocks are often felt some time after the initial quake. (Supplied)
South Gippsland Shire mayor Nathan Hersey said he hadn't personally noticed the latest aftershock but added that seismic activity remained a hot topic of conversation locally.
"People are still talking about the initial earthquake and there's been several aftershocks since," Cr Hersey said.
"I was at a community breakfast in Arawata, which is the town at the epicentre of the initial earthquake, and people are still talking about it weeks down the track. Earthquakes are a fascinating topic."
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