[JUST IN]: Magnitude 3.8 Earthquake Rocks Melbourne, Breaking 120-Year Record

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake rocked Melbourne, breaking a more than 120-year record
The tremor struck at around 11:41 p.m., prompting late-night social media posts
The earthquake's epicenter was found to be in Sunbury, and the tremor could be felt up to Hobart

Melbourne was rocked by a magnitude 3.8 earthquake on Sunday night that broke a more than 120-year record in the region.

At around 11:41 p.m., people were awoken by the tremor, prompting residents to post on social media platforms. They shared how they experienced the earthquake that had its epicenter in Sunbury and was felt as far away as Hobart.

Magnitude 3.8 Melbourne Earthquake

The latest tremor is the most powerful earthquake that has affected the region in the last 120 years, based on a tweet from Adam Pascale, a seismologist. The last largest quake was felt in 1902 and had a magnitude of 4.5, as per News Corp Australia.

Victoria State Emergency Service (SES) confirmed that the earthquake caused no injuries or damage at midnight. Residents in Melbourne went loud on social media minutes after the tremor to share their experiences.

One user tweeted that they felt "one solid 'boom' and mild-medium shake, minor rumbling [in the] Essendon area." Another user posted a video captured by their security camera at the time of the powerful quake.

Another resident said that they were pretty sure that parts of their house had started to separate following the one in lockdown in 2021. They noted that they would remain aware of further movement of the land.

Victoria SES also urged Melbourne residents to prepare for potential aftershocks following the powerful earthquake. If an aftershock does occur, people should drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy table or other furniture, and remain calm until the tremor stops, according to 9News.

Breaking a 120-Year-Old Record

The United States Geological Survey initially recorded the earthquake in the region as having a magnitude of 3.6 and a depth of more than nine kilometers, but it was later changed to a depth of three kilometers. From the Seismology Research Centre, Pascale said that the tremor woke him up and got him out of bed.

The seismologist said the latest tremor data indicated a magnitude four earthquake. However, he added that the fact that it was so shallow made it relatively powerful compared to other earthquakes in Melbourne. He noted that it had been recorded as the most powerful in the last 120 years, affecting the Melbourne metropolitan area.

In a statement, Victoria SES chief operations officer Tim Wiebusch said that many people in the region quickly posted about feeling the earthquake. During an interview, he said that the strength of the tremor made it strong enough to be felt by people indoors.

Another seismologist, Hugh Glanville from Geoscience Australia, said that the earthquake would have been widely felt but unlikely to cause significant infrastructure damages. He argued that it had a stronger shake, its size did not pose much of a threat, said ABC.net.