June 2, 1979 Earthquake: Western, Australia

Name: June 2, 1979 Earthquake: Western, Australia
Start: 1979-06-02
Location: Western, Australia

June 2, 1979 · M6.1 · $1.5 million

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Western, Australia on June 2, 1979 at 09:47:58 UTC, 6 km below the surface.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: June 2, 1979
Time: 09:47:58 UTC
Place: Western, Australia
Magnitude: 6.1 (Ms)
Focal depth: 6 km (4 mi)
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 30.812° S, 117.179° E
Country: Australia

The toll

Injuries: 1
Damage: $1.5 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.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

1 injured and estimated $ 1.5 million damage at Cadoux. 12 km, N-S fault with 0.5 m vertical displacement observed east of Cadoux. (reference #1053)

10 million $AUS (1990) [8 million USD (1990); 4 million USD (1979)] (reference #14033)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

October 14, 1968, Meckering, Northam, Cunderdin, York, AustraliaM6.8 · $2.6 million · 78 km

Significant earthquakes of 1979 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1979 Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4836.