Biggest for 50 years
NZPA Sydney Yesterday’s earthquake in New South Wales is thought to have been Australia’s biggest for 50 years. The earthquake measured 5.5 on the Richter scale, said the assistant director of the Australian Seismological Centre, Dr Peter Cook. He said the last quake of a similar magnitude was in southern New South Wales, centred near Canberra in the 19305. iA senior researcher with the Bureau of Mineral Resources, Mr Kevin McHugh, said earthquakes nearing the magnitude of yesterday’s tremor-had occurred in 1973 and 1961, but had struck in more isolated areas. On average a significant quake occurred every 25 years in New South Wales. Australia is considered one of the safest land masses in the world for earthquakes. Scientists say the chance of a quake as large as the huge 8.5’ shake which devastated Mexico City in 1985 would have to be estimated in terms of millions of years. Yesterday’s Newcastle earthquake was the first Australian shock in which lives were lost, but 289 lives have been recorded as lost in New Zealand earthauakes.
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Press, 29 December 1989, Page 1
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178Biggest for 50 years Press, 29 December 1989, Page 1
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