Wyalkatchem earthquake: Small Wheatbelt town records 2.2 magnitude quake

A 2.2 magnitude earthquake has shaken a small Wheatbelt town.

The earthquake in Wyalkatchem — located about 190km north-east of Perth — was recorded at a depth of about 10km at 3.10am on Tuesday.

It comes just one day after Wyalkatchem recorded a 3.5-magnitude earthquake about 12.25am on Monday.

Monday’s earthquake was recorded at a depth of about 4km, with tremors felt across the State’s south west land division, including near Northam and Perth.

The Wyalkatchem catchment has recorded more than 130 earthquakes in the past year, including a 4.8-magnitude earthquake on July 30.

Curtin University Emeritus Professor and structural geologist Chris Elders said the town was located near a fault line.

“There are a lot of very old fault lines within that area that have formed over hundreds and thousands of years,” he told The West in July.

“When the stress builds up in the crust, the lines of weakness will fail or move or slip.”