The United States Geological Survey Recorded
a Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake at a depth of 10.0 km about 37 km to the east of the town of Demba in Kasai-Central Province, Democratic
Republic of Congo, slightly before 1.45 pm local time (slightly before 11.45 am GMT) on Tuesday 4 August 2020.
There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this
event at this time, but it may have been felt locally.
The approximate location of the 4 August 2020 Kasai-Central Province Earthquake. USGS.
South Kivu lies to the west of the Great Rift Valley, which is
slowly splitting the African Plate in two along 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
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
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