M6.5 earthquake 40 km ENE of Northam, Australia
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 40 km ENE of Northam, Australia on Mon, Oct 14, 1968, 10:58 AM GMT+8 (02:58 UTC), 11 km (7 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (mw), strong
- Local time
- UTC
- 1968-10-14 02:58:52 UTC
- Depth
- 11.2 km (7.0 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 31.561° S, 117.089° E
- Region
- Australia
- Strongest shaking
- IX, violent shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Deaths and damage
From NOAA NCEI’s Significant Earthquake Database (record 4468), matched to this event by time and place.
- Injuries
- 28
- Damage
- $2.6 million
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- IX, violent shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 101.4% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 4.2 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 3.5 and up: 0 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
None recorded.
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem815895 (also filed as atlas19681014025850). Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 12:19 AM UTC.