Magnitude-2.8 Tremor Wakes Barossa Valley Residents

A magnitude-2.8 earthquake struck Stone Well, on the outskirts of Tanunda, at 2:26am on Monday. It woke residents across the Barossa Valley and drew nearly 250 reports to Geoscience Australia. The tremor hit about 55 kilometres north-east of Adelaide.

Where the Tremor Was Felt

Geoscience Australia said most reports came from around Tanunda and Nuriootpa. Residents described rattling shelves and a loud noise as the earthquake moved through the area overnight. The brief shaking woke people across the Barossa Valley, including residents in their homes.

Geoscience Australia seismologist Tania Page told 891 ABC Adelaide that an earthquake of this size would cause “maybe two or three seconds of shaking”. People reported “rattling shelves, a lot of noise,” Page said. She described how earthquakes of this size can sound “like a thunder, or a truck going past, or a smaller explosion even.”

Residents focused on the noise and brief shaking, not a longer event. Page said reports clustered around Tanunda and Nuriootpa. Geoscience Australia received nearly 250 reports in total.

Residents Describe the Night

Nuriootpa resident Mark called the tremor “pretty powerful, it was very bass-like”. “At first I thought it was thunder,” he said. The noise woke him immediately, and his cat, which sleeps at the end of his bed, stayed awake for a while too.

Mark estimated the shaking lasted “about three seconds, maybe more.” His account matched Page’s description of a short period of shaking for an earthquake of this size, though Page estimated “maybe two or three seconds”.

The report places the event at 2:26am on Monday. Residents were asleep when the shaking began. Mark said it woke him straight away, while others told Geoscience Australia about rattling shelves and noise.

Damage and Seismic Reports

Geoscience Australia says earthquakes below magnitude 3.5 “seldom cause damage”. This earthquake measured magnitude 2.8, below that threshold. The statement describes what earthquakes of this size generally do; it doesn’t say whether this event caused damage.

The report places the earthquake at Stone Well, on the outskirts of Tanunda. Most reports to Geoscience Australia came from Tanunda and Nuriootpa. The event occurred about 55 kilometres north-east of Adelaide.

Accounts describe the location, brief shaking, and what residents heard and felt. Page outlined the expected shaking duration, while Mark recalled the bass-like sound and the moment it woke him. Geoscience Australia received nearly 250 reports and said earthquakes below magnitude 3.5 seldom cause damage.