Magnitude 3.8 earthquake shakes Orana as 3.7 tremor jolts Muswellbrook hours apart

Two earthquakes, hours apart, rattled residents in regional NSW, with tremors felt from Muswellbrook to the Orana region.

Madeline Cove
The Nightly
Earthquake shakes NSW with two tremors two hours apart.
Earthquake shakes NSW with two tremors two hours apart. Credit: Geoscience Australia

Residents across regional New South Wales endured a restless night as two separate earthquakes struck within hours of each other.

The first tremor, a magnitude-3.7 quake, hit near Muswellbrook in the Upper Hunter at 2.22am Tuesday.

Seismologists reported the quake struck close to the surface — just 3km deep — increasing the likelihood it was felt across the area.

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Later that evening, at about 11pm Monday, a second, stronger tremor measuring magnitude 3.8 shook the Orana region.

This quake struck deeper, about 10km below the surface, but was powerful enough to be detected by seismic monitoring equipment as far away as Victoria, Geoscience Australia reported.

No major damage or injuries have been reported from either event, but residents across both regions reported feeling the ground shake.

Geoscience Australia confirmed it is continuing to monitor aftershocks and urged anyone who felt the quakes to submit a felt report to assist in tracking seismic activity.

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