An earthquake that sounded “like a train” and rattled cupboards was the largest in southwest Tasmania in two decades, felt across the island.

The 4.1-magnitude tremor struck at 6:38 am on Thursday near Lake Pedder at a depth of 14 km. More than 120 people reported the earthquake to Geoscience Australia, including residents in Hobart, Queenstown on the west coast, and Launceston in the north.

One resident in Burnie posted on social media that it sounded like a train going down the street, while another south of Hobart reported glassware rattling in cupboards. Despite these reports, there were no calls for assistance or damage reported, according to the state’s emergency service.

Geoscience Australia senior seismologist Hadi Ghasemi said it was the largest quake within a 100 km radius of the epicentre in 20 years. “Tasmania is not high seismicity,” he explained, “but this event is testament that earthquakes can happen anywhere in Tasmania.”

Dr. Ghasemi also noted that the largest earthquake documented in Tasmania was a mid-to-high magnitude six in the late 1800s off Flinders Island.

Hydro Tasmania confirmed that no damage had been identified to its dams in the region, including Edgar Dam, which is currently undergoing upgrades. The dam, located about 30 km from the earthquake’s epicentre, is designed to withstand tremors of up to 6.8 magnitude along the Lake Edgar fault line.

“This earthquake was well below that and was not on the fault line,” said Hydro Tasmania’s General Manager of Assets and Infrastructure, Jesse Clark. “The upgrade will strengthen the dam even further.”

Hydro Tasmania emphasized that it maintains extensive seismic monitoring and will continue to inspect and monitor infrastructure over the coming days to ensure safety.
https://thewest.com.au/news/disaster-and-emergency/like-a-train-remote-earthquake-biggest-in-decades-c-20138247