Neotectonic Features

Meckering Scarp
https://neotectonics.ga.gov.au/feature/442846

Summary Report
Feature Id: 442846
Feature Type: Fault scarp
Confidence Level: A - Definite neotectonic feature
Length: 37 km
Displacement: 1.98
Age of Youngest Deformed Deposit: Quaternary
Age Range: 2.58 Ma - present
Domain: Archaean and unreactivated Palaeoproterozoic
crust

Synopsis
Arcuate fault scarp relating to the ML6.9 (Ms6.8) 14th October 1968 Meckering Earthquake. The
greatest vertical displacement measured was 1.98 m, the greatest heave 2.36 m, and the
greatest total displacement 2.46 m (Gordon & Lewis 1980). These maxima occurred on the
central N-S trending portion of the fault. The 37 km scarp length is measured along the arc of the
rupture. Aeromagnetic imaging suggests that the rupture exploits basement structures, including
faults, dykes and lithological contacts, with northeast, northwest, and northerly trends (Dentith et
al. 2009). Two trenches excavated across the scarp in 2005 (see image: Meckering Scarp -
trench log poster) suggest no rupture for hundreds of thousands of years prior to 1968. A
paleoliquefaction study found potential structures relating to proximal strong ground shaking
prior to 1968 (Tuttle 2003).

About this information

Initially compiled: June 2002
Last updated: May 2021
About this information
Confidence: A - Definite neotectonic feature
Quality assured: C - Checked
Location method: Published Report
Location precision: 200 m

Detailed Report
Feature Id: 442846
Feature Name: Meckering Scarp
Compilation Date: June 2002
Last Updated: May 2021
Originator: Publication
Quality Assurance: C - Checked
Confidence Level: A - Definite neotectonic feature
Domain: Archaean and unreactivated Palaeoproterozoic
crust
Latitude: -31.65808056
Longitude: 116.96351944
Length: 37 kilometres
Displacement: 1.98 metres
Sense of Movement: Dextral reverse
Average Strike: 20 degrees
Dip Direction: East
Single Event Displacement: 2.46 metres
Location method: Published Report
Location precision: 200 m
Location remarks: 100 km ENE of Perth CBD. Arcs traced from
Gordon & Lewis (1980).
Deformed Deposit Description: Trenches were excavated across faulted
deposits at two locations on the central
northerly oriented part of the scarp (Clark et al.
2011). The southerly trench was excavated on
a hillslope and exposed late Tertiary
ferruginous duricrust overlain by a thin veneer
of residuum derived from the duricrust. A
pallid layer beneath the ferruginous duricrust
appears to have been offset in an event prior
to 1968. However, all surface expression
relating to this event has been eroded,
suggesting a great age for the event (see
image #2). The northerly trench was excavated
where the 1968 rupture intersects the Mortlock
River floodplain, in between the Eastern
Highway and the railway line. This trench
exposed faulted sandy fluvial sediments that
Detailed Report
nearby dating suggests are at most late
Pleistocene in age (ca. 20 ka - Clark et al.
2011). Only the 1968 rupture was evident in
this trench.
Synopsis: Arcuate fault scarp relating to the ML6.9
(Ms6.8) 14th October 1968 Meckering
Earthquake. The greatest vertical
displacement measured was 1.98 m, the
greatest heave 2.36 m, and the greatest total
displacement 2.46 m (Gordon & Lewis 1980).
These maxima occurred on the central N-S
trending portion of the fault. The 37 km scarp
length is measured along the arc of the
rupture. Aeromagnetic imaging suggests that
the rupture exploits basement structures,
including faults, dykes and lithological
contacts, with northeast, northwest, and
northerly trends (Dentith et al. 2009). Two
trenches excavated across the scarp in 2005
(see image: Meckering Scarp - trench log
poster) suggest no rupture for hundreds of
thousands of years prior to 1968. A
paleoliquefaction study found potential
structures relating to proximal strong ground
shaking prior to 1968 (Tuttle 2003).
Geologic Setting: Outcrop in the the Meckering region is
dominated by Archaean granitioids and
granitic gneisses of the Yilgarn Craton, which
are exposed over less than 5% of the
landsurface as low hills and pavements.
Aeromagnetic data aquired over the scarp
suggests that the granites form part of a
highly deformed basement with affinities to
rocks of the Jimperding Metamorphic Belt
(Dentith et al. 2009). Elsewhere the Jimperding
Metamorphic Belt comprises highly deformed
igneous and sedimentary rocks, often at high
metamorphic grade (Wilde, 2001).
Geomorphic Expression: The scarp resulted in the formation of a
number of landforms including thrust scarps,
pressure ridges, tension gashes, etc. (Gordon
& Lewis 1980). The scarp pattern is complex
and comprises elements belonging to three
main trends (N, NE and NW). Aeromagnetic
data shows this pattern to reflect basement
structure (Dentith et al. 2009). Vertical
displacements are greatest on the northerly
trending elements in the central third of the
scarp, and rapidly decline on the NE and NW
trending tails. Drainage in several tributaries of
the Mortlock River has been modified
Detailed Report
(including ponding). The morphology of much
of the scarp has been degraded by agricultural
practices. A short section of N-S trending
scarp has been preserved unmodified on the
Quellington Road, 12 km south of Meckering.

Vertical displacment, scarp length, sense of

movement, dip and dip direction are as
reported in Gordon & Lewis (1980). The
vertical neotectonic displacment occurs on the
northerly trending central third of the scarp.
Displacement reduces to closer to 1 m on the
northern and southern ends of the rupture.
Seismicity Remarks: Palaeoseismic studies on the 1968 scarp did
not provide compelling evidence for recurrence
of large earthquake events (e.g. Clark et al.
2011, Figure 5), in contrast to most other
Western Australian scarps studied (e.g. Clark
et al. 2008, Estrada, 2009). However, trenches
excavated at sites reported to have been
associated with liqefaction in 1968 (Gordon &
Lewis 1980) identified structures consistent
with two palaeoliquefaction events in the last
20 ka (Clark et al. 2011, p9-13). Additional
reseach is required to confirm the origin of
these features, which may alternatively be
sand-filled tree root casts. If proven of seismic
origin, they could indicate that successive
ruptures in the Meckering area exploit different
nearby faults. The maximum single event
displacement reported for this record was
measured (Gordon & Lewis 1980).
Slip Rate Remarks: Surface displacement and colluvial deposits
were identified only for the most recent event
(1968) on this fault (see image #2). This event
resulted in an average slip of 1-2 m. A 1 m
vertical displacement in Late Tertiary duricrust
identified in the southern trench (see image
#2) has had all surface relief removed by
erosion. This suggests that the penultimate
event on this fault occurred hundreds of
thousands of years or more prior to the most
recent event. The indication is that only 3-4 m
of slip has occurred on this fault in the last
several millions of years.

The preliminary results of a liquefaction study

at Meckering (Clark et al. 2011, p. 9-13) require
further research to validate, but might indicate
that groundshaking sufficient to cause
liquefaction is more frequent than large events
Detailed Report
on the 1968 Meckering Fault.
Bibliographic References: CLARK D. 2010. Identification of Quaternary
scarps in southwest and central west Western
Australia using DEM-based hill shading:
application to seismic hazard assessment and
neotectonics. International Journal of Remote
Sensing 31, 6297-6325.
CLARK D. & ALLEN T. 2018 What have we
learnt of cratonic earthquakes in the fifty years
since Meckering? Australian Earthquake
Engineering Society 2018 Conference, Perth,
Western Australia. https://aees.org.au/wp-
content/uploads/2019/12/10-Dan-Clark.pdf
CLARK D., DENTITH M., WYRWOLL K. H.,
YANCHOU L., DENT V. & FEATHERSTONE C.
2008. The Hyden fault scarp, Western
Australia: paleoseismic evidence for repeated
Quaternary displacement in an intracratonic
setting. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences
55, 379-395.
CLARK D. & EDWARDS M. 2018 50th
anniversary of the 14th October 1968 Mw 6.5
(Ms 6.8) Meckering earthquake. Australian
Earthquake Engineering Society Pre-
conference Field Trip, Meckering, 15 November
2018, Geoscience Australia Record, vol.
2018/39, p. 47.
CLARK D., MCPHERSON A. & COLLINS C. D. N.
2011. Australia's seismogenic neotectonic
record: a case for heterogeneous intraplate
deformation. Geoscience Australia Record
2011/11, 95 pp.
CONACHER A. J. & MURRAY I. D. 1969. The
Meckering earthquake, Western Australia, 14
October 1968. Australian Geographer 11,
179-184.
DENHAM D., ALEXANDER L. G. & WOROTNICKI
G. 1980. The stress field near the sites of the
Meckering (1968) and Calingiri (1970)
earthquakes, Western Australia.
Tectonophysics 67, 283-317.
DENTITH M. C. & FEATHERSTONE W. E. 2003.
Controls on intra-plate seismicity in
southwestern Australia. Tectonophysics 376,
167-184.
DENTITH M. C., CLARK D. J. &
FEATHERSTONE W. E. 2009. Aeromagnetic
mapping of Precambrian geological structures
that controlled the 1968 Meckering Earthquake
(Ms 6.8): Implications for intraplate seismicity
in Western Australia. Tectonophysics 475,
544-553.
Detailed Report
ESTRADA B. 2009. Neotectonic and
palaeoseismological studies in the southwest
of Western Australia. PhD Thesis. The
University of Western Australia, Perth
(unpubl.).
EVERINGHAM I. B. & GREGSON P. J. 1970.
Meckering earthquake intensities and notes on
earthquake risk for Western Australia. Bureau
of Mineral Resources, Geology and
Geophysics. Record 1970/97. 25 pp.
FREDRICH J., MCCAFFREY R. & DENHAM D.
1988. Source parameters of seven large
Australian earthquakes determined by body
waveform inversion. Geophysical Journal 95,
1-13.
GORDON F. R. 1970. Water level changes
preceding the Meckering, Western Australia,
earthquake of October 14, 1968. Bulletin of the
Seismological Society of America 60,
1739-1740.
GORDON F. R. & LEWIS J. D. 1980. The
Meckering and Calingiri earthquakes October
1968 and March 1970. Western Australia
Geological Survey Bulletin 126, 229 pp.
LANGSTON C. A. 1987. Depth of faulting
during the 1968 Meckering, Australia,
earthquake sequence determined from
waveform analysis of local seismograms.
Journal of Geophysical Research 92(B11),
11561-11574.
TUTTLE M. P. 2003 Paleoliquefaction
Reconnaissance in Western Australia. pp. 21.
Geoscience Australia, unpublished report.
https://www.researchgate.net/
publication/346303685_Paleoliquefaction_Rec
onnaissance_in_Western_Australia_Sponsored_
by_Geoscience_Australia_Final_Report
VOGFJÖRD K. S. & LANGSTON C. A. 1987. The
Meckering earthquake of 14th October 1968: a
possible downward propagating rupture.
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of
America 77, 1558-1578.
WILDE S. A. 2001. Jimperding and Chittering
metamorphic belts, Southwestern Yilgarn
Craton, Western Australia : a field guide.
Geological Society of Western Australia
Record 2001/012, 24 pp.

Images
Name: Meckering Scarp - photo
Caption: Photo of central scarp in 2002
Images
(looking south)

Name: Meckering Scarp - trench log poster

Caption: Poster created for the residents of
Meckering on the occasion of the 40th
anniversary of the 1968 Meckering
earthquake.

Name: Meckering Scarp - photo

Caption: Photo of central scarp in 2002
(looking north), showing scarp destruction by
farming activities

(c) Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2021

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