The Seismic Event
On the night of 28 May 1993 a mysterious seismic disturbance was detected in Western Australia and found to have emanated from south of Banjawarn.
The event sent shock waves through hundreds of miles of desert but was witnessed only by a few long-distance truck drivers and gold prospectors. They reported seeing a fireball in the sky and hearing a protracted low-frequency sound. The cause of the event remained a mystery, however.
A meteor strike would have left a large crater, perhaps 300 yards (270 m) across, none of which was found. A mine explosion was also unlikely, as it was 170 times more powerful than the largest explosion known in Australia up to that time. The Urban Geoscience Division of the Australian Geological Survey Organisation determined that the seismic traces of the event "showed similar characteristics consistent with typical seismic activity for Western Australia," and that the event was most likely an earthquake.
Following the revelation that Banjawarn was owned by the Aum there was speculation that this event was the result of a test explosion of a nuclear device they had built. It was known that Aum were interested in developing nuclear as well as chemical weapons, as they had recruited two nuclear engineers from the former Soviet Union and had been mining uranium. This was reported in 1997 in the New York Times. However, the AFP investigation found no evidence of this or of any equipment that might indicate such research.
Read more about this topic: Banjawarn Station
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