Earthquake Hits South Africa as residents Flee Homes in Fear. The Government of South Africa has urged Citizens not to be afraid, as this is just a small wave.
The last earthquake in South Africa happened in the early hours of November 17, Cape Town suffered its second earth tremor of the year. According to the Western Cape Government, “a minor earth tremor measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale was felt in the ocean off the West Coast of Saldanha Bay.”
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Aftershocks were felt in a number of Western Cape municipalities as well as Cape Town suburbs. Despite the rude wakeup, there have been no reports of infrastructure damage or injuries, nor have there been any tsunami warnings.
This is hardly the first earthquake to strike Cape Town. There have been more earthquakes.
More earthquakes, two shakes in September 2020, and our greatest recorded earthquake in 1969 jolted Tulbagh.
On a Saturday night in September 2020, inhabitants in Cape Town felt a 2.5 magnitude earthquake around 10 kilometers north of Malmesbury, which jolted buildings for about three to four seconds. According to the Council for Geoscience, this was unrelated to the big magnitude 6.2 earthquake that occurred roughly 1,600km offshore of South Africa a short time ago.
Capetonians were awoken on Sunday morning by a second tremor produced by a magnitude 2.3 earthquake near Durbanville. There were no reports of injuries or infrastructural damage, and no tsunami warnings were issued.
The last earthquake in WESTERN CAPE was in 1969. The strongest recorded earthquake in South Africa struck Tulbagh on September 29, 1969, killing 12 people. The 6.3-magnitude quake was felt in Ceres, Tulbagh, Wolseley, and Prince Alfred Hamlet. Porterville and Worcester, as well as the villages of Gouda, Saron, and Hermon, suffered substantial damage.
There were several aftershocks, the most powerful of which came nearly six months later and had a magnitude of 5.7. The Tulbagh earthquake was more powerful than the one that devastated a nearby Milnerton property in 1809.
On 5 August 2014, South Africa’s second largest recorded earthquake occurred in Orkney in the North West, measuring 5.5. It lasted approximately 90 seconds and could be felt in regions of Botswana and Durban.
The size of the occurrence distinguishes an earthquake from an earth tremor, according to the Council for Geoscience (CGS). In South Africa, a tremor is defined as a seismic occurrence with a magnitude less than 4.0. Anton Bredell, the minister of local government, environmental affairs, and development planning, says recent seismic activity in Cape Town is not cause for concern.
“We are fortunate in that the African continent is located on a very stable tectonic plate.” “We don’t have any major fault lines,” Bredell explains. “Southern Africa, in particular, is located on a very stable faultline.” This indicates that our risk of earthquakes and tsunamis is extremely minimal. While there is always some seismic danger, we do not believe it is imminent.
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We do not feel there is a real threat of a magnitude seven or greater earthquake in the Western Cape.”
The dam levels in Cape Town have risen dramatically.
