With Australia experiencing on average 100 earthquakes above magnitude 3.0 every year, Geoscience Australia is encouraging people to practice earthquake safety as part of Earth Science Week (12-18 October 2025). The Great ShakeOut is an international earthquake safety drill to teach people how to stay safe during earthquakes.
If you feel the ground start to shake, drop to the ground, seek cover under a sturdy table and protect your head and neck, and hold on until the shaking stops.
After you are safe, submit a felt report to the Geoscience Australia website at earthquakes.ga.gov.au. The more felt reports, the better our understanding about the earthquake, helping authorities prioritise where they may need to assess damage.
Geoscience Australia Seismologist Dr Michelle Salmon says it is vital for everyone to know how to keep safe in an earthquake.
“The best science cannot yet predict or control when and how the ground is going to shake in an earthquake but, if prepared, we can limit the impact. The Great ShakeOut is an opportunity to practice what you would do during an earthquake.”
The largest recorded earthquake in Australia was a magnitude 6.6 at Tennant Creek, Northern Territory, in 1988. Two earthquakes over magnitude 6 were recorded in the lead up to the main earthquake.
More information: www.ga.gov.au/about/earth-science-week/the-great-shakeout