An earthquake measure 2.6 on the Richter scale hit Wycheproof last night.
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Geoscience Australia reports the quake hit at about 6pm on Saturday.
No damage or reactions were reported in relation to the seismic event.
Buloke Shire councillor Ellen White said she was alerted to the quake by the VicEmergency app.
“A warning comes up if you’re subscribed to the app. I live just outside Wycheproof and thought the warning would be for a grass fire,” she said.
“I’ve asked a few people if they felt anything unusual but no one did. We are used to trucks and trains rumbling though and people must have thought it was that.
“Some suggested that it was Santa arriving early.”
According to the Geoscience Australia website estimated damage and shaking cannot be measured for earthquakes below a magnitude of 3.0.
Stations in Ballarat, Mount Arapiles (Vic), Hallett (SA), Cobar (NSW) and Young (NSW) detected the earthquake.
Earthquakes have also hit central Victoria in January this year (Rochester), May last year (Ravenswood) and in 2012 (Bendigo).
An earthquake measuring 4.0 hit the Bendigo area in 1969, and another measuring 3.5 was experienced in 1991.
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![Minor earthquake hits Wycheproof overnight Minor earthquake hits Wycheproof overnight](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/dNmjTCUWGCi8W4CsChEdGZ/676e59cf-9645-4c51-a208-4adb98933e12.JPG/r0_515_4928_3286_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Geoscience Australia duty seismologist Dan Connolly said 42 earthquakes had hit in a 100km radius from the Wycheproof event in the last 30 years.
“There are not too many around that area,” he said. “Last night’s seismic event wasn’t reported by residents. One of our duty officers happened to see it through the evening and made the report.”
“They are mostly around that size but six have been recorded above 3.0, which is how big it would need to be to be felt by most people.
“Usually in the high 3s people report books falling off shelves and windows rattling. ou don’t usually expect damage until you pass 4.0.”
The largest earthquake in the area of the past 30 years was in Swan Hill in 2001 when one measured 4.8 in magnitude.
“That was quite a large earthquake by Australian standards. We had reports of glass breaking and chimneys falling down,” Mr Connolly said.
For more details or to report earthquake activity visit www.ga.gov.au/earthquakes