Reviewing the 1 March 1954 Adelaide Earthquake, South Australia

Abstract

The 1 March 1954 earthquake in South Australia is the most damaging earthquake to impact the densely populated Adelaide region since European settlement in the state. Previous interpretations of macroseismic data have associated the event with the Eden-Burnside Fault zone, with a presumed epicentre near Darlington. We assessed the validity of this observation by reviewing available macroseismic and instrumental data. We find that damaging shaking extended east from Adelaide into the Adelaide Hills, but without a well-defined locus of high intensities. These new findings question the conventionally assumed location for the 1954 Adelaide earthquake. Comparing macroseismic intensities from the 1954 earthquake with similar modern macroseismic datasets also suggests the 1954 event was perhaps larger than previously thought. Our work highlights the potential seismic hazards faced by large urban centres in Australia such as Adelaide.