reply to post by Spruk
Australia is not the lucky country everyone thinks it is.
Yes it is true we are in the center of the Indo-Australai plate. However there are major "thrust and slip", fault lines all over the Eastern side of
Australia and these can generate some really destructive quakes.
Most activity in eastern australia is due to upward thrusting movements under the plate (mountain building), which is very active today.
Places like the Latrobe Valley in Victoria (which had a 5.3 just a few weeks ago), and the Mornington Peninsula are in a very, very active mountian
building phase. The Peninsula has been reaised by 10 meters over the last 100,000 years.
Also, do not forget the newcastle quake, it destroyed half the city and killed a lot of people. Australia's shallow fault lines have the potential to
cause more damage than any of the continental plate lines. Because they are so close to the surface, the shockwaves of even mild quakes can have
devistating concequence, although I do doubt they can generate anything stronger than a 6 - 6.5, including the faults around sydney.
Another thing... "Volcanoes"!!! Australia (and in particular Victoria and Eastern SA), have more potential eruption points than any other country
(which is a very little known fact). There are over 400 extinct (some very recently), eruption points across western Vic and today there's over 40
that still have the potential to errupt att any time.
Hanging Rock, Mt Macedon, Mt Cottrell, Mount Gambier (SA), Aberfeldy (Baw Baw shire,Vic) are all dormant (not extinct, DORMANT), along with around, as
I said, about 36 other potentially active volcanoes.
Luckily, most of them are Maar and Shield Volcanoes and devistation would be limited, but AU isn't the quiet place you might think, it is very
active.
edit on 8/7/2012 by Ironclad because: (no reason given)
edit on 8/7/2012 by Ironclad because: (no reason given)