South Australians urged to prepare for next big earthquake

South Australian authorities have held earthquake response training in areas across the state.

The state experienced a magnitude-4.9 quake offshore last week, while Victoria has recorded a number of tremors in the past couple of months.

Seismologists say earthquake prediction is impossible, but people should have emergency plans in place.

Nearly 130 years since South Australia's biggest earthquake, authorities say the public should be prepared for the possibility of another, but it is impossible to predict when.

More than 1,100 people reported feeling a magnitude-4.9 earthquake about 100 kilometres offshore in South Australia last week, while 18 earthquakes were recorded in Victoria over a one-month period, including a magnitude-4.8 felt by more than 20,000 people.

The seismic activity comes as South Australia's emergency services held earthquake response training in multiple regions across the state.

SA Police acting officer-in-charge of the emergency and major events section Inspector Bradley Winn said the state was fairly "seismically active" and being prepared for the next big event was important.

"Thankfully, they are mostly minor activities in the state," he said.

Inspector Winn said people should have an emergency plan, similar to a bushfire survival plan, which can help in the event of a flood or earthquake.

"Drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy table or desk if available, and most importantly hold on until the shaking stops," he said.

"Do not run outside during the shaking or immediately after the shaking."

Nearly 130 years ago, South Australia's south-east experienced the state's largest earthquake since contemporary records began in 1837, a magnitude-6.5 quake on May 10, 1897.

The earthquake caused considerable damage, particularly up the coast from the epicentre at Kingston South East, and about 50 people were injured.

"It caused panic in Adelaide, and there was some damage in Adelaide itself," Geoscience Australia seismologist Stacey Martin said.

In 1954, Adelaide was hit with a magnitude-5.4 quake, damaging more than 3,000 buildings.

Dr Martin said research suggested earthquakes as big as magnitude-7.2 could be possible in South Australia, particularly along the Willunga fault, south of Adelaide.

"I think we should be prepared for that," he said.

A challenge for earthquake preparedness is the unpredictability.

"Earthquake prediction is not something that is scientifically possible at this time," Dr Martin said.

"The best way to approach the situation is to continue to monitor for earthquakes, use those outputs to improve hazard models and then for those models to be used by locals to prepare for big earthquakes.

The Seismological Association of Australia's members build and run their own seismographs to improve understanding of events across the country.

The association's chief seismologist David Love said knowing more accurately where earthquakes occur was vital for both research and preparedness.

"One thing that turns up over and over, which is a bit of a surprise, is that earthquakes in Australia don't follow the main fault lines we've got mapped," he said.

He said councils in areas with a history of earthquakes should ensure buildings, particularly older structures, were built to withstand earthquakes.