Friday 8 February 2019

Magniitude 3.7 Earthquake near Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 3.7 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km, roughly 5 km to the northeast of the town of Moshi in the Kilimanjaro Region of northern Tanzania, slightly after 11.50 am local time (slightly after 8.50 am GMT) on Thursday 7 February 2019. There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event (nor would any be expected with an event of this size), but people have reported feeling it locally.

The approximate location of the 7 February 2019 Kilimanjaro Earthquake. USGS.

Western Tanzania lies within the the 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.

The Earthquake occurred about 30 km to the south of Mount Kilimanjaro, a 5149 m high volcano associated with the African Rift System that forms the highest point in Africa. Seismic activity beneath volcanoes can be significant, as they are often caused by the arrival of fresh magma, which may indicate that a volcano is about to undergo an eruptive episode. However, this event is unlikely to be a prelude to any activity on Kilimanjaro, as the volcano is dormant, having not erupted for about 100 000 years, and is unlikely to do so in the future without a significant amount of warning.

Mount Kilimanjaro, seen from Moshi. Muhammad Mahdi Karim/Wikipedia.

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...
 
https://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2018/02/vultures-and-lions-poisoned-outside.htmlhttps://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2016/09/fourteen-dead-after-earthquake-in.html
https://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/01/magnitude-46-earthquake-in-northeast.htmlhttps://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/08/human-rights-watch-reports-on-child.html
https://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/08/magnitude-46-earthquake-in-northern.htmlhttps://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/07/african-barrick-gold-sued-over-deaths.html
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