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Geography Field Trip to Meckering Earthquake Site

Wendy Davey (second right) Curator of the Cunderdin Museum and three survivors of the 1968 Meckering earthquake who described their experiences, still remarkably clear and emotional, for the students
Wendy Davey (second right) Curator of the Cunderdin Museum and three survivors of the 1968 Meckering earthquake who described their experiences, still remarkably clear and emotional, for the students

On Wednesday 24 February, a group of 35 Year 11 students journeyed east into the Wheat Belt to visit the site of the devastating earthquake that destroyed the vast majority of the buildings in the small town of Meckering on 14 October 1968.

At a magnitude of 6.9 on the Richter scale, the Meckering event released similar amounts of seismic energy as the earthquakes that devastated Haiti in January and Kobe, Japan in 1995 yet amazingly, there were no fatalities.

Students visited ruined buildings to consider why so few remained intact after 40 seconds of shaking and walked along the fault scarp that revealed where the break in the crust reached the surface.

A highlight was undoubtedly listening to the experiences of survivors of the earthquake, who ranged in age from 16 to 47 back in 1968.

Data collected during the day will form a key part of ongoing research by the students, particularly assessing why earthquakes of similar magnitudes produce such vastly different impacts in terms of death and property destruction.

David Proudlove
HEAD OF HUMANITIES

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