A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck the Australian state of Victoria early Saturday morning, with thousands of residents reporting strong shaking across a wide area of the state.

According to Geoscience Australia, the earthquake occurred shortly after 2:00 a.m. local time on October 3, with its epicenter near Leongatha, a town in South Gippsland approximately 135 kilometers (84 miles) southeast of Melbourne. The earthquake was relatively shallow, with an estimated depth of 10 kilometers.

Despite being widely felt, authorities said there were no immediate reports of injuries or significant damage.

Nearly 15,000 People Report the Shaking

The earthquake woke thousands of residents across Victoria during the early hours of Saturday.

Within approximately an hour of the tremor, nearly 15,000 felt reports had already been submitted to Geoscience Australia, demonstrating just how widely the shaking was experienced.

Geoscience Australia uses these public reports to create near-real-time maps showing the geographical extent and intensity of earthquake shaking.

Residents across South Gippsland and surrounding areas reported sudden shaking, rattling windows and movement inside homes.

One of the Region’s Strongest Earthquakes in Two Decades

Geoscience Australia geophysicist Hadi Ghasemi described the magnitude 4.8 event as one of the strongest earthquakes experienced in the region during the past two decades.

He said the shaking close to the epicenter was strong, although major structural damage was not expected.

The earthquake’s shallow depth likely contributed to the noticeable shaking experienced by residents.

Shallow earthquakes can produce relatively strong ground motion close to their epicenters even when their magnitude is moderate.

Magnitude 3.1 Aftershock Follows Main Earthquake

The initial earthquake was followed by at least one significant aftershock.

Geoscience Australia confirmed that a magnitude 3.1 aftershock occurred near Leongatha shortly before 3:00 a.m. local time, less than an hour after the magnitude 4.8 mainshock.

Additional smaller aftershocks remain possible.

Aftershock sequences are normal following moderate earthquakes and generally become less frequent over time, although scientists cannot precisely predict when individual aftershocks will occur or how strong they will be.

Recent Earthquake Activity Across Victoria

Saturday’s earthquake comes after several smaller seismic events were recorded across Victoria in recent weeks.

On September 26, a magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck near Ensay in East Gippsland. It was the strongest earthquake recorded in that immediate area in more than a decade and was felt by residents across surrounding communities.

A magnitude 3.3 earthquake was also recorded near Yarram on Thursday, adding to a recent sequence of tremors across Gippsland. Seismologists have stressed that such activity is not necessarily an indication that a much larger earthquake is imminent.

Victoria Has Experienced Stronger Earthquakes

Although the magnitude 4.8 Leongatha earthquake was significant for the region, it was considerably weaker than Victoria’s largest earthquake of the modern instrumental era.

On September 22, 2021, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck near Rawson in Victoria.

That earthquake was felt across several Australian states and generated more than 40,000 felt reports. It also caused damage to buildings, including fallen masonry and cracked walls.

Geoscience Australia notes that earthquakes can occur anywhere across the Australian continent. Earthquakes above magnitude 5.0 are recorded somewhere in Australia on average every one to two years.

Why Do Earthquakes Occur in Australia?

Australia is located away from the major tectonic plate boundaries responsible for many of the world’s most powerful earthquakes.

However, that does not mean the continent is seismically inactive.

The Australian tectonic plate is moving and interacting with the Pacific and Eurasian plates, creating stresses within the continental crust.

When accumulated stress exceeds the strength of rocks along existing faults, they can suddenly rupture and generate an earthquake.

Geoscience Australia maintains a database containing hundreds of known intraplate faults and fault-related geological structures across the country.

No Injuries or Significant Damage Reported

Despite the strong shaking and large number of reports from residents, no injuries or significant structural damage had been reported in the immediate aftermath of the Leongatha earthquake.

Authorities and seismologists continue to monitor the region for aftershocks.

Geoscience Australia’s official safety advice during strong earthquake shaking is simple: Drop, Cover and Hold On until the shaking stops.

The magnitude 4.8 event is another reminder that while major earthquakes are relatively uncommon in Australia compared with countries along active plate boundaries, significant seismic activity can still occur without warning.