The Huge Magnitude 6.8 West Australia Earthquake

#earthquake #westernaustralia #quake
On October 14, 1968, the small town of Meckering in Western Australia was rocked by a powerful earthquake, registering a magnitude of 6.8. This unexpected event tore through the peaceful agricultural community, causing widespread destruction. Buildings crumbled, roads split apart, and railways twisted under the immense force. The earthquake's impact was felt over a vast area, but it was Meckering that bore the brunt of nature's fury.

The seismic activity caused significant surface ruptures, with several faults breaking through the ground, forming a complex pattern of cracks and displacements. Local streams were rerouted, and the altered landscape led to flooding and salinity issues. Remarkably, despite the extensive damage to infrastructure and the dramatic changes to the landscape, no lives were lost in the earthquake, a testament to the resilience and quick thinking of the local residents.

The Meckering earthquake served as a wake-up call for Australia, highlighting the need for better preparedness and understanding of seismic risks, even in regions considered stable. This event remains one of the most significant earthquakes in Australia's history, and its legacy continues to influence building codes and seismic research to this day. Join me as we explore the story of the 1968 Meckering earthquake, its impact on the land and people, and the lessons learned from this powerful natural disaster.
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[OzGeologyOfficial]

As always, the links to the papers used to create this video are in the description. Thanks for watching!

[kuhhnt]

My mum, now 70, remembers this. As she recalls, she was travelling with her father from Perth, and the destruction she remembers significantly impacted shopfronts and the likes even out at Merredin. She states there were people standing out in the streets, dogs and horses running wild, and bricks strewn over the footpaths and roadways.

[harrietharlow]

This shows that earthquakes can happen anywhere and that one cannot count on a history of perceived seismic stability. I am a Yank and had always thought that Australia was. by and large, a seismically-stable country, especially the cratonic areas. I'm a geology enthusiast of over half a century, so it shows that one can always learn something new about our dynamic earth. Thank you for uploading this OzGeology.

[hansf]

I remember the event well, I was 13 and living in Perth metro area at the time. The sight of the family car bouncing on its springs and the power lines swaying at the front of the house made for a scary experience.

[ksanurse]

I remember. I was a child and it affected me greatly. I remember my friends were allowed to sleep in their parents room because they were frightened. Not
mine though I was forced to sleep alone in a room so dark that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face it was pitch black. Forget having a night light that wasn’t gonna happen and the blind blocked out all the light along with the building next door. And the tremors were terrible aftershocks. As a child I nearly had a nervous breakdown and was put on Valium. I was what 9 years old. You can’t imagine the writhing of the earth and the rolling waves beyond your disbelief. Mum all I needed was a night light and some bloody reassurance that you would save me and not by pass me by to rescue my brother who was EVERYTHING. Yep never got over it! Lived through other earthquakes as an adult but nothing ever affected me like that one. And thanks dad for having us watch the movie on San Fransisco where the earth cracked open and people fell in, it didn’t help. I love my Mum and Dad but in hindsight they were not gold star parents. 😂.

[la]

Even today 56 years later, theres still a lot of evidence of the quake around the WA wheatbelt.

[tonymccarthy]

I remember driving through the area in 1970 on the way to Perth and noticed that a lot of buildings in the town were still showing the signs on the 68 quake,

[billeaton]

I can remember I was 15 and sleeping in that day (must have been a public holiday?) and was thrown out of bed by the quake. I guess I was about 200 - 250 km's away in a little town called Mingenew. My wife has vivid memories of her front boundary fence moving like a wave. Startling

[annieclaire]

Fascinating as always! Thank 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[mirin]

I will never forget this. My family lived in Maddington, a very southern end of the Perth Metro area. There also another major quake in the town of Cunderdin, not that far from Meckering. Was either 1972 or 75

[johnnytower]

I remember being shaken awake by a 6.6 magnitude earthquake when I was living in Darwin. It occurred 600 km away in Indonesia and still woke me up, was kinda surreal

Being at ground zero would be really something

[norsehall]

G'day, thanks for the video, an Earthquake like that in any location would be disastrous, hope we never see another anywhere, cheers mate.😊

[GrandmasterBBC]

That was very in-depth and concise. Geologic activity on this planet is the most amazing thing.

[ivanb]

was in a school exam near Perth when this happened, and the gym we were in bounced around.
I didn't hear myself, but I understand the Perth cathedral bells rang for some time as result of the induced swaying.
Visited Meckering on school excursion not long after. Seeing how the earth was simply "torn" and shifted was amazing.
Saw a fence that was previously straight and flat reshaped so it went about 4 or 5 feet up and similar sideways.

[Peeter-cn]

I remember this Earth quake of 68 I was only 10 and half years old at the time living in Tas. I can remember my late father and mother both talking about it saying how very sad they were for the people of Meckering I think my family and I we went to Church the very next Sunday as the Angling church minster Rev. Aikin was taking small donations to help the people of Meckering out.

[bobgroves]

My brother was an 18 y.o. working for the PMG, in country installations.
He drove his car to Meckering to repair the town's telephone exchange
and slept in his car while he did it.

[Peekafuknboo]

It's pretty cool to stand on, and observe the Meckering fault.
It was well before my time, but well worth the trip to see in person ❤

[seagullgaming]

My grandfather lived in Meckering at the time of the quake, coming from a family of farmers in the area. He said that the ground felt like water during the earthquake, the walls of the house luckily fell outwards otherwise I wouldve never been born. You ask anyone that lived through it, and they remember it like it was yesterday.

[rodparker]

0:19 been to that house for a look.
Nice little drive that day. Can see the land change heights along the fault line through the paddocks.

[timandrews]

We were living in Orange Grove Perth at the time, we felt it, we went outside, just in case, our fence was snaking .the next day while sitting in school at Armadale Senior High School, there was an aftershock, where the Earth seemed to drop momentarily with a jolt