By Daniel Itai
The Council for Geosciences has urged residents to be wary of aftershocks following a 4.4 magnitude earthquake that hit parts of Gauteng province in the early hours of Sunday morning.
According to the Council, the earthquake occurred at 2:38 am, with the epicenter located in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.
“We have seen in the past that relatively larger earthquakes than this one tend to have a tendency to produce what we call aftershocks or subsequent seismic energy release as a result of these earthquakes. We would implore the public to remain vigilant,” said Willem Meintjes, convenor of the Council.
However, emergency services have not reported any injuries or fatalities related to the earthquake so far. Previous earthquakes in South Africa have resulted in fatalities where broken or poor infrastructure has collapsed.
In 2014, a 5.3 magnitude quake in Johannesburg led to one death after a wall collapsed on a person, while others were left injured.
According to Ray Durrheim, a Research Chair in Exploration, Earthquake, and Mining Seismology at the University of the Witwatersrand, natural earthquakes are caused by irresistible forces in the Earth’s crust.
They are powered by the radioactive heat generated in the core that slowly moves continents and builds mountains. However, not all earthquakes are natural, as some of South Africa’s gold and platinum mines are so deep that the immense stresses around excavations exceed the strength of the rock, which may rupture suddenly.
In addition, Durrheim stated that large earthquakes are relatively rare in Africa.
Only four earthquakes with a magnitude of above 7 have been recorded since 1900, the largest being a 7.3 magnitude that occurred in 1910 in Tanzania.