3.5

M3.5 Earthquake 10 km NW of Apollo Bay, AustraliaOctober 21, 2023

2023-10-21 18:44:29 UTC (2023-10-21) · approx. 4:44 AM UTC+10 local

Felt by 15 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM3.5(mb)
Time18:44 UTC4:44 AM UTC+10
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates-38.687°, 143.587°
Felt by15DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On October 21, 2023 at 18:44 UTC, a magnitude 3.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 10 km NW of Apollo Bay, Australia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates -38.6866°, 143.5866°. This earthquake was detected by 10 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 197, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 3.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 2.7 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 157 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Map showing earthquake epicenter at -38.69°, 143.59°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 15 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M3.5 earthquake near 10 km NW of Apollo Bay, Australia

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
3.5 mb
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
-38.6866°N
143.5866°E
Felt Reports
15
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
5.8
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000lh70
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
197
Stations Used
10
Azimuthal Gap
159.0°
Min Station Distance
1.869°
RMS Residual
0.52 sec
Last Updated
2023-12-26 21:25:09 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 3.5 earthquake near Apollo Bay, Australia?

The magnitude 3.5 earthquake that struck 10 km NW of Apollo Bay, Australia on October 21, 2023 at 18:44 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at -38.6866°, 143.5866°, which is 10 km NW of Apollo Bay, Australia.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 3.5 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000lh70). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, October 21, 2023). M3.5 Earthquake 10 km NW of Apollo Bay, AustraliaOctober 21, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000lh70/