1989 Newcastle earthquake
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The 1989 Newcastle earthquake was a magnitude 5.6 earthquake that occurred in Newcastle, New South Wales on Thursday 28 December 1989, at 10:27 am. It was one of Australia's most serious natural disasters, killing 13 people and injuring more than 160, and the damage bill has been estimated at A$4 billion (including an insured loss of about A$1 billion). The Newcastle earthquake was the first Australian earthquake in recorded history to claim human lives.
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 areas up to 800 km from Newcastle. Damage to buildings and facilities was reported over an area of 9000 square kilometres.
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[edit] Death toll and damage to buildings
The highest death toll and damage occurred at the Newcastle Workers Club, where the floor collapsed and nine people were killed and many more trapped beneath rubble. Another three people were crushed to death under collapsed awnings on Beaumont Street, Hamilton, an inner-city suburb of Newcastle. Following the death of a woman in Broadmeadow from earthquake-related shock, the final death toll was raised to 13.
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 A$1000) and 42 schools (structural damage), within the immediate Newcastle area.
The number of people in the city on the day of the earthquake was lower than usual, due to a strike by local bus drivers. The earthquake struck in the middle of an interview by local television station NBN with a union representative (see news footage in "External Links" section below).
[edit] Facts
- Deaths: 13 total, including
- 9 people died at the Newcastle Workers Club
- 3 people killed in Beaumont Street, Hamilton
- 1 person died of earthquake induced shock
- Injuries: 160 people were hospitalised.
- Damaged Buildings: 50,000 buildings were damaged; about 80 percent of these were homes.
- Demolition: 300 buildings were demolished including more than 100 homes.
- Human Effects: 300,000 persons were affected and 1,000 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 at the time (this record was later claimed by 1999 Sydney hailstorm, which had A$1.7 billion of insured damages). The total financial cost of the earthquake is estimated to have amounted to about A$4 billion(US$3 billion).
- Felt Area: Estimated 800 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 [1]
[edit] Cause
In early 2007 a United States academic claimed that the earthquake was triggered by coal mining in the region,[2] although earthquake activity has been present in the area since white settlement first occurred.[3] Despite this, even the most recent earthquake codes required neither the adoption of earthquake resistant design regulations in Newcastle, nor the strengthening of old buildings, although they did encourage owners to provide more than the minimum strength.[4]
[edit] In popular culture
Songs about the Newcastle earthquake include "Earthquakin'" by Newcastle Ska Band The Porkers and "Faultline" by Australian rock band Silverchair, both from 1995. Silverchair lead singer Daniel Johns lost a childhood friend during the earthquake.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Newcastle earthquake. Newcastle City Council. Retrieved on 24 September 2007.
- ^ Mining triggered Newcastle quake, says US academic. ABC News Online (9 January 2007).
- ^ C. Sinadinovski, T. Jones, D. Stewart, And N. Corby. Earthquake Factsheets - Newcastle. Geoscience Australia. Retrieved on 24 September 2007.
- ^ Earthquake History, Regional Seismicity And The 1989 Newcastle Earthquake. Geoscience Australia (22 June 2004).
- ^ Behind the News (ABC TV news program) (16 November 2007).
[edit] External links
- News footage by NBN Television, compiled a number of weeks after the quake. The footage shows the quake interrupting an interview, and also shows parts of the city on the day of the quake: particularly Hamilton, the Newcastle Workers Club, the city centre and inner-city suburbs.
- Geoscience Australia: CCIP Project - Newcastle (Earthquake Risk in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie)
- Emergency management Australia: LESSON PLANS: Effects of Earthquakes - A Case Study
