Geoscience Australia recently updated its National Seismic Hazard Assessment, and it’s raised some eyebrows by flagging two regions in Australia as having a higher risk of strong ground shaking – Victoria’s Latrobe Valley and Darwin. The Latrobe Valley is getting particular attention because it’s also one of the spots the Coalition has suggested could house a nuclear reactor in the future.
This new assessment is based on fresh data from recent seismic activity and feedback from people who have felt earthquakes. Senior seismologist Trevor Allen explained that while the risk of earthquakes hasn’t actually increased, our understanding of it has. The recent data from regions like Victoria and Darwin has helped refine the predictions. For example, we now know that Darwin's earthquake risk is higher than what was previously thought, thanks to a better understanding of seismic activity in the Banda Sea.
The Latrobe Valley, in particular, has been in the spotlight due to the 2021 Woods Point earthquake, which was the largest in Victoria in recent years. That quake, which had a magnitude of 5.9, shook up the region, including Mansfield, and got locals and anti-nuclear campaigners worried about the safety of nuclear plants in the area.
But Seismology Research Centre's chief scientist, Adam Pascale, reassures us that modern nuclear plant designs are built to handle earthquakes, even as strong as 7.5 on the Richter scale. He points to examples of nuclear plants around the world that have withstood ground shaking from earthquakes without a hitch.
So, while there’s growing awareness of seismic risks in areas like the Latrobe Valley and Darwin, the infrastructure being proposed for things like nuclear reactors is being designed to withstand these events.
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