Experts urge preparedness for possible Canberra earthquakes. Photo: Mackenzie Watkins.
Canberra may not be known for earthquakes, but experts say it should be.
Despite being unlikely to experience earthquakes, the ACT ranks second among Australian capitals for seismic hazard, trailing only Darwin. Since 1994, the region has experienced 16 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 3.0, according to Geoscience Australia.
Yet for most Canberrans, the idea of a ground-shaking earthquake remains unthinkable.
Climbing into baths and standing under doorways seems to be the consensus on staying safe, perhaps a holdover from many years past.
Now the advice is simple: if there is an earthquake, get low, get under a surface that will protect as much of your head and body as possible, and wait for the shaking to come to a stop.
Inside the National Earthquake Alerts Centre. Photo: Mackenzie Watkins.
“We aren’t prepared [for earthquakes in Canberra], and we would be in the same position as the Victorian earthquake [should one occur today],” says Dr Michelle Salmon, a seismologist with the agency.
While she notes that earthquake frequency isn’t increasing, the risk remains significant and largely underestimated.
ACT Fire and Rescue Commander Damian Holloway knows firsthand how devastating earthquakes can be.
In 2003, he joined a search and rescue team in Türkiye following a 7.8 magnitude quake. He found that the scale of devastation was overwhelming, and that local emergency services were quickly overrun.
He now urges Aussies to listen to Geoscience Australia by dropping, covering and holding on during an earthquake.
Geoscience Australia is working to shift public understanding.
So, while it may be hard to believe that earthquakes may happen in Canberra, it’s important to remember what to do and to stay alert.
