A 3.1 earth tremor hit Brakpan, Springs and Boksburg on the East Rand in August last year.
CGS spokesperson Mahlatse Mononela told TimesLIVE it was difficult to say what the exact cause of the quake was.
“But given its shallow depth, it might be mining-related seismicity or due to fluctuations in groundwater levels. The CGS is investigating this further.”
The council's Eldridge Kgaswane told EWN in 2019 earthquakes are any movement measuring higher than 4 on the Richter Scale.
“By South African standards, an earthquake would be seismic activity roughly registering around the magnitude of 4.0 and higher, and a tremor would be seismic activity less than a magnitude of 4.0. In a sense, tremors are minor earthquakes.
“Internationally, especially in countries more prone to earthquakes than South Africa, the standards could be different.”
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South Africans were left shaking by an earthquake that hit parts of Gauteng at the weekend.
According to the Council for Geoscience (CGS), the quake measured about 4.4 on the Richter scale. It hit about 10km below the surface and 16km south east of Johannesburg in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“The epicentre was located in the Boksburg area a few kilometres outside East Rand Proprietary Mines in the East Rand of Johannesburg.”
There were reports of structural damage in parts of eastern Gauteng, including a ceiling collapsing at Bedfordview Shopping Centre, with social media users on the West Rand also saying they felt the quake
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, the City of Ekurhuleni’s emergency services (EMS) spokesperson William Ntladi said no casualties or injuries were reported.
“We haven't received much across the city except that we responded to Bedfordview Shopping Centre. On our arrival we found the ceiling had collapsed and for safety reasons we had to evacuate everyone. We spoke to the owner to close up so structural engineers can do an inspection before they can start operating,” Ntladi said.
Many took to social media to share how the earthquake had woken them, damaged their homes or left them terrified.
Others slept through it and wondered what they had missed.
A 3.1 earth tremor hit Brakpan, Springs and Boksburg on the East Rand in August last year.
CGS spokesperson Mahlatse Mononela told TimesLIVE it was difficult to say what the exact cause of the quake was.
“But given its shallow depth, it might be mining-related seismicity or due to fluctuations in groundwater levels. The CGS is investigating this further.”
The council's Eldridge Kgaswane told EWN in 2019 earthquakes are any movement measuring higher than 4 on the Richter Scale.
“By South African standards, an earthquake would be seismic activity roughly registering around the magnitude of 4.0 and higher, and a tremor would be seismic activity less than a magnitude of 4.0. In a sense, tremors are minor earthquakes.
“Internationally, especially in countries more prone to earthquakes than South Africa, the standards could be different.”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
READ MORE:
Council for Geoscience probing whether mining caused Gauteng earthquake
No deaths reported after tremor in Gauteng, says EMS
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