ABC North and West SA

Topic: Earthquakes

Wednesday, 20 May 2026, 8:00 am

A rupture was caused by the earthquake in the APY Lands last month.

In short:

A 5.5 magnitude earthquake in outback South Australia caused a surface rupture. The rupture is several kilometers long.

Amata, a remote community, felt the earthquake in early April.

What's next?

Researchers are studying the rupture to predict future earthquakes.

A recent earthquake in outback Australia could help researchers predict future earthquakes.

Amata, a community in the APY Lands, felt the earthquake at the start of April.

The research team saw cracks in the ground from the earthquake.

Researchers saw a several-kilometer-long rupture in the ground after the earthquake.

The rocks on one side were lifted about half a meter above the rocks on the other side.

The rupture is about 3 or 4 kilometers long with more subtle cracking.

The rupture goes through areas of bedrock and younger sediment.

The rupture allows researchers to study the ground surface to understand earthquake damage.

About 30 people reported feeling the quake on April 5.

The magnitude was similar to the 1989 Newcastle earthquake.

The earthquake was the same size, but in a remote area.

Lessons from the land

Surface-rupturing earthquakes are rare, with 11 in Australia from 1968 to 2018.

The landscape after earthquakes provides important insight.

Researchers can study rockfalls and individual rock fragments after an earthquake.

A 5.5 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks were recorded in the Amata area.

The rupture is being researched by the University of Melbourne and Geoscience Australia.

The observations from the ground have been interesting for researchers.

The earthquake had distinct characteristics, with motions perpendicular to the fault.

The rocks were moving towards and away from the fault.

Parts of the crack were lifted about half a meter above the other side.

The research should provide lessons for the same type of fault elsewhere.

The lessons can be applied to areas like Adelaide to understand shaking patterns.

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Wednesday, 20 May 2026, 8:00 am

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