A 4.6 magnitude earthquake struck near Singleton, NSW at 2.55 AM on Wednesday, giving people an early morning surprise. People felt the tremor from Port Macquarie down to Wollongong and up to the Blue Mountains.
No injuries were reported from the quake, but NSW Emergency Services received many calls from shaken residents. Hunter MP Dan Rapacholi was among many who woke up from the tremor. “Well, that was a bit of a rude awakening … [I] reckon most of the Hunter would’ve felt that shake,” he wrote on Facebook.
The quake managed to scare a Newcastle resident, who thought someone was trying to break into her house. “My bed lifted off the floor and the wardrobe doors were rattling … at least I didn’t imagine it,” she wrote on Facebook.
Furthermore, a resident wrote online that “It sent our smoke alarm off!” while another wrote “I felt it too, my bed rocked left to right twice.” For Singleton residents, the quake delivered a stronger punch, such as houses and blinds shaking vigorously. “I thought something had crashed into my house,” a Singleton local wrote online.
Preliminary data online suggests the quake occurred at a depth of 10km, with good news that there is no warning for a tsunami according to the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre. Aftershocks are likely to hit. “They’ll probably be smaller, but some of them may be felt, and that may continue for a few days or even a week or more,” Australian seismologist Phil Cummins emphasised.
