Earthquake rattles regional South Australia

A magnitude three earthquake has struck Australia’s southern coast.

The earthquake hit near Whyalla, on South Australia’s coast, about 1.25pm on Thursday afternoon and was felt by 12 people.

Seismic activity was discovered at a very shallow depth of about 10km and was first reported by Geoscience Australia with a strength of three on the Richter scale.

It is likely people in or near Whyalla would have felt a slight tremor. 

The news comes just one month after an earthquake shook Burra, a small town in SA’s east.

Seismic activity was discovered at a very shallow depth of about 10km near Whyalla (pictured)

The quake hit Burra about 7.35am on May 13 and some 50 people reported feeling it.

Its epicentre was about 15km south of the town and had a depth of 9km.

David Love, a seismologist at the Seismological Association of Australia Inc, said the earthquake could have been felt up to 40km from the epicentre. 

‘The region is quite active, with small events happening on a regular basis. It is part of the Flinders Ranges – Mount Lofty seismic zone,’ he told the Adelaide Advertiser.