ONCE again, the earth has moved in the Upper Hunter.
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At 8.47am, on Friday, a magnitude 3.1 earthquake occurred near Denman, at a depth of 3km, and was felt at Muswellbrook.
But, it wasn’t a solo act, with another Muswellbrook Shire shake overnight.
At 11.19pm, on Thursday, there was a magnitude 2.5 earthquake near Muswellbrook with a depth of 0km.
Geoscience Australia senior duty seismologist Dan Jaksa said of all the earthquakes that had occurred in the Upper Hunter in the past 30 days, the Denman one was the largest.
“In the last ten years there have been 31 earthquakes in the region,” he said.
“The largest was a magnitude 3.6 in March 2009.”
Denman's 3.1 magnitude on Friday was the sixth largest the region had seen in the past decade.
Mr Jaksa said earthquakes occurred when the earth released stress, and most of the time shakes happened in clusters as the ground shifted.
He said Australia was moving 7cm NNE every year.
“We’re the fastest moving continental tectonic plate on earth,” he said.
And, with that movement, comes the probability of earthquakes.
While one earthquake could easily trigger another, Mr Jaksa said there was still no solid way of predicting the occurrences.
“What is possible to happen is unfortunately unpredictable,” he said.
"We could get another one again, or it could just stop.
“For a 3.1 [magnitude] there are generally no aftershocks.
“That's not to say there won’t be any.”
Mr Jaksa said minerals formed in the earth along fault lines, as it allows fluids to travel through the earth’s crust, making mining a viable prospect in the region.
He added it was a similar situation in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia – a gold mining town that experiences its share of tremors.
The seismologist said was important to know what to do in the event of an earthquake.
Those in a building should stay inside, drop to the ground and move under some furniture.
They should remain there until the shaking stops.
Following the earthquake, they can go outside, but it is best to stay more than 5 metres away from buildings when outside.
Public reports of earthquakes are always welcomed by Geoscience Australia.
To report an earthquake, visit http://www.ga.gov.au/earthquakes/staticPageController.do?page=felt-earthquake and follow the relevant links.