What’s happening?
Geoscience Australia is sending six seismic rapid deployment kits to the Sunshine Coast after the M5.6 earthquake near Kilkivan on Saturday, 16 August 2025. Sites are still being finalised.
More than 24,000 reports were lodged on Earthquakes@GA after the event. At first, no measurable aftershocks were detected, but four small ones have since been recorded.
Why it matters
The deployment helps track tremors and gather data on the fault that broke. The information will be published online, giving the public insight into aftershock activity.
Local Impact
The kits will capture the exact size and location of the detected four aftershocks.
By the Numbers
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16 August 2025 – Kilkivan earthquake measured Magnitude 5.6
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24,000+ people reported shaking
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6 seismic kits deployed this week
Zoom In
Dr Michelle Salmon said, “We’re getting ready to send out six earthquake monitoring kits. They’re our aftershock kits that we mobilise when there are large earthquakes in Australia.”
She explained that seismometers and accelerometers are included to capture a wide range of ground motions. Each kit also has solar panels and a 4G modem for live data transfer.
“These aftershock kits will actually help us to locate the little aftershocks that are happening. That means that we’ll be able to publish them on our site,” she said.
Dr Salmon reminded, “If you feel an aftershock please let us know. It gives us even more information.”
She clarified, “The kits don’t cause earthquakes. They just are silently monitoring what’s going on in the ground.”
Dr Michelle Salmon, Geoscience Australia Seismologist: Watch VIDEO.
Zoom Out
The monitoring kits will begin sending information as soon as installation is complete this week.
What to look for next
Earthquakes@GA will publish aftershock and shaking data once the kits are live.
