1989 Newcastle earthquake
The 1989 Newcastle earthquake was a magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurring on Thursday 28 December 1989, at 10.27am. It was one of Australia's most serious natural disasters, killing 13 people and injuring more than 160, while the damage bill has been estimated at around A$4 billion dollars (which includes an insured loss of about A$1 billion).
The effects were felt over an area of around 200,000 square kilometres in the state of New South Wales, with isolated reports of movement in area of up to 800 km from Newcastle. Damage to buildings and facilities were reported over an area of 9000 square kilometres.
Cause
The Newcastle earthquake was caused by a build up of intra-plate tension in the southern part of the Indo-Australian Plate. The intra-plate tension occurs as heat builds up underneath the continental land mass. The release of this tension resulted in an earthquake occurring in a normally earthquake-free environment.
Impact
Even though the earthquake itself was only 5 to 6 seconds in length, its impact was felt throughout central-eastern New South Wales. Reports of damage to buildings in Scone, Gladstone and Sydney were reported. The shaking was felt in buildings, mainly tall buildings, in places over 5000km away.
If the earthquake had struck during the evening when 2000 people were expected at a pop concert at the Workers Club, or if it had happened a month later when thousands of students had returned to school, a great many more deaths and injuries could have resulted.
Death toll and damage to buildings
The highest death toll and damage occurred at the Newcastle Workers Club, where 9 people were killed and many more trapped under the rubble. Another three died at the Kent Hotel in Beaumont Street, Hamilton.
The earthquake caused damage to over 35,000 homes, 147 schools, and 3,000 commercial and/or other buildings, with significant damage caused to 10,000 homes (damage worth over $1000) and 42 schools (structural damage), within the immediate Newcastle area.
Rebuilding
The damaged parts of the city have since been rebuilt, with the Workers Club (now known as Newcastle Panthers) completely rebuilt. Some people think it was good for the economy because it led to a construction boom.
Facts
- Deaths: 13 total, including:
- 9 people died at the Newcastle Workers Club
- 3 persons were killed in Beaumont Street, Hamilton
- one person died of earthquake induced shock
- Injuries: 162 people were hospitalised.
- Damaged Buildings: 50,000 buildings were damaged. About four fiths of these were homes.
- Demolition: 300 buildings were demolished and more than one hundred of these were homes.
- Human Effects: 300,000 persons were affected and 1,000 persons were made homeless.
- Insurance: Over 70,000 insurance claims were made. The total insurance payout in 1996 dollar terms amounted to A$1.02 billion, the largest disaster induced insurance loss in the history of Australia. The total financial cost of the earthquake is estimated to have amounted to about A$4 billion(US$3 billion).
- Felt Area: Estimated 200,000 km around the epicentre.
- Richter Magnitude: 5.6
- Epicentre: Boolaroo
- Aftershocks: One aftershock (M 2.1 on the richter scale) was recorded on 29 December 1989
See also