Shallow M4.7 Earthquake struck on Saturday Night near Melbourne in Australia.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 2nd, 2026. Last updated October 3rd, 2026.

Under land 99 kilometer from Melbourne in Australia, a shallow MAG-4.7 earthquake occurred in the night of Saturday October 3rd, 2026. The earthquake struck near a very densely populated region. Around 5.3 million people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Australia, 99 kilometer (62 mi) south-east of Melbourne in Victoria. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Oct 3, 2026 02:01 (Melbourne Time) - Oct 2, 2026 16:01 Universal Time.
Location:	99 km SE of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Coordinates 38°22'49"S 145°50'24"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.7 Detected by 20 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.123 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (25 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 95% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 5.3 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 5.3 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Strong shaking and probably light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 360 people. At VI, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 4.9 million) live in an area exposed to level IV, where light shaking and likely no damage is expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Australia .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
301,100	III	Weak	Probably none
4,947,000	IV	Light	Likely none
31,550	V	Moderate	Very light
360	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Australia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Warragul in Victoria, Australia. Warragul is located 26 kilometer (16 mi) south of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Warragul is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Melbourne is located 99 km to the northwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Geelong is located 132 km to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Bendigo is located 227 km to the northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
26 km (16 mi) N from epicenter	Warragul Victoria, Australia.	V Moderate
47 km (29 mi) NW from epicenter	Pakenham Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
56 km (35 mi) NW from epicenter	Cranbourne East Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
57 km (35 mi) NW from epicenter	Cranbourne Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
58 km (36 mi) NW from epicenter	Berwick Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
58 km (36 mi) NW from epicenter	Cranbourne North Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
61 km (38 mi) NW from epicenter	Narre Warren South Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
61 km (38 mi) NW from epicenter	Narre Warren Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
63 km (39 mi) W from epicenter	Langwarrin Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
64 km (40 mi) NW from epicenter	Hampton Park Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
65 km (40 mi) E from epicenter	Traralgon Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
66 km (41 mi) NW from epicenter	Carrum Downs Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
66 km (41 mi) W from epicenter	Frankston South Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
68 km (42 mi) NW from epicenter	Frankston East Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
68 km (42 mi) W from epicenter	Frankston Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
68 km (42 mi) NW from epicenter	Endeavour Hills Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
69 km (43 mi) NW from epicenter	Seaford Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
70 km (43 mi) W from epicenter	Mount Eliza Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
71 km (44 mi) NW from epicenter	Dandenong Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
72 km (45 mi) NW from epicenter	Dandenong North Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
72 km (45 mi) W from epicenter	Mornington Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
73 km (45 mi) NW from epicenter	Keysborough Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
73 km (45 mi) NW from epicenter	Rowville Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
73 km (45 mi) W from epicenter	Mount Martha Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
73 km (45 mi) NW from epicenter	Ferntree Gully Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
75 km (47 mi) NW from epicenter	Noble Park Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
75 km (47 mi) NW from epicenter	Boronia Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
77 km (48 mi) NW from epicenter	Springvale Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
77 km (48 mi) NW from epicenter	Mulgrave Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
78 km (48 mi) NW from epicenter	Wantirna South Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
78 km (48 mi) NW from epicenter	Wheelers Hill Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
81 km (50 mi) NW from epicenter	Mooroolbark Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
81 km (50 mi) NW from epicenter	Croydon Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
81 km (50 mi) NW from epicenter	Glen Waverley Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
82 km (51 mi) NW from epicenter	Ringwood Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
82 km (51 mi) NW from epicenter	Clayton Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
83 km (52 mi) NW from epicenter	Cheltenham Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
84 km (52 mi) NW from epicenter	Mount Waverley Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
86 km (53 mi) NW from epicenter	Bentleigh East Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
89 km (55 mi) NW from epicenter	Glen Iris Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
89 km (55 mi) NW from epicenter	Doncaster East Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
90 km (56 mi) NW from epicenter	Malvern East Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
90 km (56 mi) NW from epicenter	Brighton Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
90 km (56 mi) NW from epicenter	Camberwell Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
94 km (58 mi) NW from epicenter	Hawthorn Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
95 km (59 mi) NW from epicenter	Kew Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
96 km (60 mi) NW from epicenter	Richmond Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
96 km (60 mi) NW from epicenter	South Yarra Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
99 km (62 mi) NW from epicenter	Melbourne Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
99 km (62 mi) NW from epicenter	Melbourne City Centre Victoria, Australia.	IV Light
132 km (82 mi) W from epicenter	Geelong Victoria, Australia.
298 km (185 mi) S from epicenter	Burnie Tasmania, Australia.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 137 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 137 people have reported shaking in 18 places, all within Australia.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: 49 people.
Pakenham, Victoria, Australia: 19 people.
Cranbourne, Victoria, Australia: 18 people.
Craigieburn, Victoria, Australia: 12 people.
Healesville, Victoria, Australia: 10 people.
Wonthaggi, Victoria, Australia: 4 people.
Warragul, Victoria, Australia: 4 people.
Somerville, Victoria, Australia: 4 people.
Crib Point, Victoria, Australia: 3 people.
Moe-Yallourn, Victoria, Australia: 3 people.

2 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 5 km (2.9 mi) west of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 55 mins later. It measured a magnitude of 3.2

This main shock was prefaced by 1 smaller foreshock. A 3.3 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 3.3	2 days earlier Oct 1, 2026 09:43 (Melbourne Time)	88 km (55 mi) E from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 4.7	Oct 3, 2026 02:01 (Melbourne Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.2	55 mins later Oct 3, 2026 02:56 (Melbourne Time)	5 km (2.9 mi) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.5	10 hrs later Oct 3, 2026 12:25 (Melbourne Time)	3 km (1.9 mi) NE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is the strongest earthquake in 3 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 21st, 2023, when a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit 206 km (128 mi) further west. An even stronger magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck on September 21st, 2021.

In total, 2 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.7 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 5 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (25 km from the sea).	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 03/10/26 06:38 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.