M5.2 Earthquake 64 km E of Katanning, Australia — August 5, 2023
2023-08-05 21:34:43 UTC (2023-08-05) · approx. 5:34 AM UTC+8 local
Felt by 252 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.5 (very strong).
On August 5, 2023 at 21:34 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 64 km E of Katanning, Australia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -33.7603°, 118.2467°. The earthquake was reported felt by 252 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 6.5 (very strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 60 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 527, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Katanning (population 3,934).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 951 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.3 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 6.5 (very strong), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Strong shaking felt by everyone. Heavy furniture may move. Books fall from shelves. Plaster and chimneys may crack. Damage is generally slight in well-built structures.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 252 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 32,796 |
| MMI 4 | light | 85,465 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 1,745 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 36 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 1 |
Earthquake Details
118.2467°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Katanning, Australia?
The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck 64 km E of Katanning, Australia on August 5, 2023 at 21:34 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 252 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 6.5 (very strong). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at -33.7603°, 118.2467°, which is 64 km E of Katanning, Australia. The nearest populated place is Katanning (population 3,934).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.2 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000ky6d). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, August 5, 2023). M5.2 Earthquake 64 km E of Katanning, Australia — August 5, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000ky6d/