The Beaconsfield tragedy was triggered by a 2.3 earthquake which is rather minor and most places will not even feel this. The recent one at Woods Point is now classified as 5.8 (significant) and there was an aftershock at 4.0 soon after. Over the next 2-3 years, we can expect more aftershocks, which may even approach the scale of the initial shock. I have not seen any mapping of fault lines, or which one the quake occurred on, and so cannot ascertain the proximity to the mine but I have to retain a degree of caution. Sometimes, an initial quake will trigger a subsequent shock on a nearby fault that causes much more damage than the first one, even when it has a lower energy rating. Every earthquake has different earth movement characteristics and these produce different impacts on the surface or near surface. I am hoping for the best but earthquakes are not predictable and neither is their resultant damage.
To withstand the close quake at Woods Point indicates that the mine has good bracing and strong rock and so fingers crossed going forward.
