4.5-magnitude earthquake hits Central West NSW, Australia

The Central West region of New South Wales, Australia, has been struck by a record-breaking earthquake that was felt across several hundred kilometres of the state.

The magnitude-4.5 quake was recorded south of Orange, east of the Cadia gold mine, at approximately 8:19pm AEST on Tuesday, News.Az reports, citing Australian media.

Geoscience Australia said it is the largest earthquake on record in the region.

More than 2,000 “felt” reports have been submitted, spanning from Forbes to Sydney and as far south as Batemans Bay.

Residents in Orange, located about 35 kilometres north of the epicentre, reported that houses were shaking for approximately 30 seconds.

The Mayor of the Blayney Shire, Bruce Reynolds, lives 12km from the epicentre and said the earthquake was the biggest he had felt in the area.

“The house shook violently … the rumble felt as though a truck had hit the house,” Mr Reynolds said.

“My wife was scared and got my daughter outside," he said. 

The previous record earthquake felt in Orange was in 2017.

The magnitude-4.3 shock caused the precautionary evacuation of Cadia.

Mr Reynolds said he experienced the quake nine years ago and said Tuesday night's one was much worse.

“It’s been widely felt across the region and out to the east coast," he said. 

In a statement a Newmont Cadia spokesperson said it was "committed to safe and responsible mining".

"Our sensors detected seismic activity in the region at approximately 8.20pm and safety procedures functioned effectively to ensure the safety of our workforce," the statement said.

Geoscience Australia seismologist Phil Cummins said he would expect aftershocks to occur.

"Normally aftershocks would decrease in magnitude and frequency as time goes by," he said.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev