Magnitude-5 earthquake strikes near Gnowangerup rattling residents across southern Western Australia

A magnitude-5 earthquake has struck southern Western Australia — one of the biggest in years to hit the state.

The quake hit at 5:34am just north-east of the Great Southern town of Gnowangerup, about 150 kilometres north of Albany on the state's south coast.

Early reports stated the tremor was a magnitude-5.6 earthquake, but its intensity rating has since been downgraded.

The Department of Fire Safety and Emergency and the local SES said no injuries only minor damage had been reported.

Geoscience Australia senior seismologist Hadi Ghasemi said the earthquake was felt widely as it was centred at a depth of just 5km.

"The event was very shallow, and … it was widely felt because it would be closer to the surface," he said.

"It means that the seismic waves needed less distance to reach the surface."

Looking at the history of the region Mr Ghasemi said earthquakes in the area were common.

"There are many earthquakes happening in the surrounding regions," he said.

"Over the past 20 years we have had 12 earthquakes with magnitudes of four or larger."

Mr Ghasemi said there had been no reports of aftershocks, but they were still possible.

'It was pretty far out'

Geoscience Australia has received more than 2,500 "felt reports" about the seismic event.

Gnowangerup resident Scott Roper said the quake was intense.

"The whole room shook, and things moved, and I was watching it happening," he said.

"It took me completely by surprise it was pretty far out.

"I dare say it would have freaked a lot of people out."

Hundreds of reports from residents who felt the quake were recorded across the south of the state, as far away as Perth, Kalgoorlie and Bunbury.

The earthquake lasted about 30 seconds.

In Lake Grace, about 100km north of the epicentre, residents felt the tremor intensely too.

"I felt it rattling the whole house for nearly a minute, just south of Lake Grace," Stephanie Lay said.

Tremor felt in Perth, Narrogin

Further away in Perth, Jayde Franklin felt the quake in her apartment.

"I felt it 15 storeys up and it was swaying the building," she said.

Brian Draper in Narrogin said he woke to his windows rattling.

The most powerful earthquake to hit Western Australia was the Meckering earthquake in 1968 — a 6.5-magnitude quake by today's standards.

The Great Southern region was home to what experts dubbed an "earthquake swarm" in January last year, when more than 40 small quakes hit near Arthur River on Albany Highway over a three week period.

That event followed two larger earthquakes, a 5.7 and 5 at Lake Muir near Manjimup in 2018.

Story By: ABC Great Southern / By John Dobson and Lauren Smith

Original story link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-06/earthquake-southern-western-australia-gnowangerup/102694430