The South African Council for Geosciences
recorded a Magnitude 3.8 Earthquake about 20 km to the southeast of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, slightly after 11.30 am local time (slightly after 9.30 am GMY) on Thursday 7 March 2019. There are no reports of any damage
or casualties associated with this event, though many people reported
feeling it in the Johannesburg area.
The approximate location of the 7 March 2019 Johannesburg Earthquake. USGS.
Earthquakes of any size are relatively rare in South Africa and because of this rarity it is hard to make precise judgements about the
cause of quakes in South Africa, due to a paucity of data. Northwestern
South Africa is close the southern end of the Great Rift Valley exits
the continent and passes out under the Indian Ocean on the coast of Mozambique. The Great Rift
Valley is slowly splitting the African Plate in two allow a line from
the Red Sea through Ethiopia, and which includes the great lakes and
volcanoes of east-central Africa. This has the potential to open into a
new ocean over the next few tens of millions of years, splitting Africa
into two new, smaller, continents; Nubia to the west and Somalia to the
east.
Movement on the African Rift Valley, with associated volcanoes. Rob Gamesby/Cool Geography.
Witness statements can help geologists to understand Earthquakes and the
geological processes that cause them; if you felt this quake (or if you
were in the area but did not, which is also useful information) you can
report it to the South African Council for Geoscience here.
See also...
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