Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake in the Singida Region of central Tanzania.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km, roughly 39 km to the southeast of the town of Ikungi in the Singida Region of northern Tanzania, slightly after 6.40 pm local time (slightly after 3.40 pm GMT) on Wednesday 6 September 2023. 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 5 September 2023 Singida Earthquake. USGS.

Western Tanzania lies within 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.

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Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake to the east of Mauritius.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 6.7 Earthquake at a depth of 10.0 km, beneath the Indian Ocean roughly 412 km to the east of Mauritius, at about 6.05 pm local time (about 2.05 pm GMT) on Wednesday 12 May 2021 local time. There are no reports of any injuries associated with this event, and nor would they be expected from an event this far from shore, but people have reported feeling the Earthquake in Mauritius.

 

The location of the 12 May 2021 Indian Ocean Earthquake. USGS.

The event occurred on the Central Indian Ocean Ridge, a chain of (mostly) submerged volcanoes running the length of the Indian Ocean from north to south,  along which the ocean is splitting apart, with new material forming at the fringes of the African and Indian Plates beneath the sea. The Indian Ocean is spreading at an average rate of 30 mm per year, with new seafloor being produced along the rift volcanically, i.e. by basaltic magma erupting from below. The ridge itself takes the form of a chain of volcanic mountains running the length of the ocean, fed by the upwelling of magma beneath the diverging plates. All of this results in considerable Earth-movement beneath the ocean, where Earthquakes are a frequent event.

 

Location of Central Indian Ridge. (CIR, Central Indian Ridge; SWIR, Southwest Indian Ridge; SEIR, Southeast Indian Ridge; RTJ, Rodriguez Triple Junction; R.Is, Reunion Island; CR, Carlsberg Ridge; LR, Laxmi Ridge; OFZ, Owen Fracture Zone; MR, Murray Ridge; MZR, Mozambique Ridge; SMP, Seychelles–Mascarene Plateau Complex; RS, Red Sea; GA, Gulf of Aden; PG, Persian Gulf; GO, Gulf of Oman). Majumdar, Bhattacharyya, & Chatterjee (2006).

 

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Magnitude 4.6 Earthquake in South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

The United States Geological Survey Recorded a Magnitude 4.6 Earthquake at a depth of 10.0 km about 91 km to the west of the city of Uvira in South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, slightly after 1.30 pm local time (slightly after 11.30 am GMT) on Wednesday 24 March 2021. There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event at this time, but is likely to have been felt locally.

 

The approximate location of the 24 March 2021 South Kivu Earthquake. USGS.

South Kivu 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.

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Magnitude 5.0 Earthquke beneath Lake Malawi.

The United States Geological Survey Recorded a Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake at a depth of 6.4 km about 10 km beneath the Tanzanian portion of Lake Malawi, slightly after 10.00 am local time (slightly after 7.00 am GMT) on Monday 24 March 2018. There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, but people have reported feeling it locally.

 The approximate location of the 24 August 2020 Lake Malawi Earthquake. USGS.
 

Lake Malawi 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.

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.

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Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake in Kasai-Central Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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.

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Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake off the north coast of Iceland.

The Icelandic Met Office recorded a Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake at a depth of 9.2 km, off the north coast of Iceland, roughly 40 km to the northeast of the town of Siglufjörður in Southern Iceland, at about 3.05 pm GMT on Saturday 20 June 2020. There are no reports of any damage or casualties associated with this event, but people have reported feeling it on the northern Icelandic coast.

The approximate location of the 20 June 2020 Iceland Earthquake. USGS.

Iceland lies directly upon the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a chain of (mostly) submerged volcanoes running the length of the Atlantic Ocean along which the ocean is splitting apart, with new material forming at the fringes of the North American and European Plates beneath the sea (or, in Iceland, above it). The Atlantic is spreading at an average rate of 25 mm per year, with new seafloor being produced along the rift volcanically, i.e. by basaltic magma erupting from below. The ridge itself takes the form of a chain of volcanic mountains running the length of the ocean, fed by the upwelling of magma beneath the diverging plates. In places this produces volcanic activity above the waves, in the Azores, on Iceland and on Jan Mayen Island. All of this results in considerable Earth-movement beneath Iceland, where Earthquakes are a frequent event.

The passage of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge beneath Iceland. NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.

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.

  

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Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake beneath the northern Red Sea.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.4 Earthquake at a depth of 10.0 km beneath the northen Red Sea, roughly 77 km to the southeast if the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh at about 4.30 pm local time (about 2.30 pm GMT) on Tuesday 16 June 2020. There are no reports of any serious damage or injuries from this quake, but it was felt in Egypt and SAaudi Arabia.

The approximate location of the 16 June 2020 Red Sea Earthquake. USGS.

The Red Sea, while referred to as a sea, is technically an immature ocean, underlain by the Red Sea Rift, a spreading boundary between two tectonic plates, the African Plate and the Arabian, where new oceanic crust is being formed. Arabia was formerly part of the African Plate, but split away about 30 million years ago. The Great Rift Valley of Africa is a continuation of this rift, that is slowly splitting Africa in two from the north to the south. This rifting exerts pressure on the rocks around the margin of the sea, slowly pushing them apart, not smoothly but in fits and starts as the pressure overcomes the tendency of the rocks to stick together. 

The relative movements of the African and Arabian Plates. School of Earth and Environment/University of Leeds.

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.

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