4.3 Earthquake in South Africa.

This happenned on Saturday afternoon at 16.15. I was on the couch watching tv, when i felt the couch move under me, then i heard the windows and doors rattle.

I was rather freaked out. I have never ever experienced something like this. SA is very stable when it comes to earthquakes, and this small tremor, is concerning me.

Why now suddenly, when in my 30 years of living here, i have never felt anything like this?

The light earthquake that struck the Southern Cape on Saturday, May 14, registered 4.3 on the Richter Scale. This information has just been confirmed by the SA Weather and Disaster Information Service.

According to United States Geological Surveys (USGS) the epicentre (the point on the Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake) of the earthquake was at Leeugamka - 151 km South (172°) of Beaufort West, 260 km West (276°) of Port Elizabeth and 401 km East (88°) of Cape Town.

LINK to article.

Any ideas why we would suddenly have EQ's in SA?

VVv

reply to post by VreemdeVlieendeVoorwep


EQ's happen all over the world, it's just the matter of time that they strike.

Just gearing up for the 21st May.

Originally posted by Alpal
reply to post by VreemdeVlieendeVoorwep

 

EQ's happen all over the world, it's just the matter of time that they strike.

Earthquakes of note which occurred in the 20th Century in South Africa.
Date Time
(SAT) Region Intensity Magnitude Remarks
31/12/1932 08h32 Off Cape St. Lucia

VIII 6.0-6.5 29/09/1969 22h03 Ceres/Tulbagh/Wolseley

08/12/1976 10h38 Welkom VII 5.2 07/03/1992 02h43 Carletonville VII 4.7

Those are about the only mentionable quakes in SA history mate.

It is a rather rare occurance here, especially, considering how far away we are from a faultline.

VVV

England had an EQ last year, no-where near any fault lines but still happened.

South Africa isn't really near any big fault lines so earth quakes are pretty rare... Map... However there is a (minor?) fault line in the Cape area - and the worrying part is that Koeberg (one of SA's nuclear power stations) sits right on top of it...

Cape Town - Koeberg nuclear power station is sitting alongside a geological fault which gave rise to an earthquake in 1809 that was the same magnitude as last month’s earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand.
...
Seismic experts have rated the earthquake risk as “rare, but a very real threat for Cape Town”.

The government intends doubling South Africa’s nuclear power capacity and, in spite of the earthquake risk, Koeberg has been selected as one of the sites for more nuclear stations.

Eskom says it is aware of the fault line, but has built Koeberg to withstand an earthquake of 7.
...
The website states: “Earthquakes are a rare but a very real threat for Cape Town... increased public awareness of this hazard is needed.”

Source

I didn't feel a thing..
Living in South Africa is still one of the safest places geographically, let's hope it stays that way.

reply to post by stygmartyrZA


Where in SA are you mate?

This was felt all along the garden route, up to about Plettenbergbay.

VVv

reply to post by Gemwolf


Most interesting indeed and has me now wondering out of all Nuclear facilities worldwide just how many happen to be situated on or close by fault lines?

I am sure SA will not have to worry however things could turn a bit 'District 9' if the worse case was to happen. Only a matter of time before a nation turns to prawns and starts a blackmarket business in cat food.

Inspect this area on google earth 33.700°S, 22.800°E notice the location of epicenter and altitudes in the surrounding area, this has potential to be a landslide? How was the recent rainfall up in that mountains?

www.iol.co.za...

And the quake this morning in Johannesburg, 3.1. Felt it but nothing serious, still, totally not common here.

reply to post by VreemdeVlieendeVoorwep


I grew up in the Langkloof (Misgund) in the 60's and felt the Ceres earthquake when I was a still a small little kid. A distance of about 700km's. This earthquake seems to be in the Kamanassie region - such a beautiful place and some fond memories for me.

Originally posted by qonone
www.iol.co.za...

And the quake this morning in Johannesburg, 3.1. Felt it but nothing serious, still, totally not common here.

edit on 5/16/2011 by qonone because: (no reason given)

Notice something! Why that people so dressed up in that photo? Just a quack? Looks to me as if they are scared of some desease?

reply to post by thestupidguy


Normal procedures being followed. South Africa is huge on these laws, be it a small construction site or earthquake epicenter, biohazard risk.

Originally posted by thestupidguy

Originally posted by qonone
www.iol.co.za...

And the quake this morning in Johannesburg, 3.1. Felt it but nothing serious, still, totally not common here.

edit on 5/16/2011 by qonone because: (no reason given)

Notice something! Why that people so dressed up in that photo? Just a quack? Looks to me as if they are scared of some desease?

Those pictures are definitely not relating to this quake - perhaps some irrelevant file photo. The reported area is highly populated. That area looks more like the Karoo (about 1000km from this area) or perhaps some other place in the world..

Originally posted by qonone
reply to post by thestupidguy

 

Normal procedures being followed. South Africa is huge on these laws, be it a small construction site or earthquake epicenter, biohazard risk.

That was one of the funniest comments I have heard in a long time.. Thanks for the laugh!!!! A star for you my friend.

reply to post by Ysterlong


At last, someone who gets sarcasm...

As for that pic, it could have been Katlehong (epicenter). Does it looks like Katlehong to anyone who's been there?...Well, i dunno, never go there but there are many flat open areas like this in Johannesburg. I live in Midrand, JHB and as far as i can see its flat and from me it's a 30 min drive to the center of JHB city.

reply to post by Ysterlong


I love how they are wearing dust masks.

It's common knowledge that inhaling earthquakes is hazardous for your health !

Originally posted by qonone
www.iol.co.za...

And the quake this morning in Johannesburg, 3.1. Felt it but nothing serious, still, totally not common here.

edit on 5/16/2011 by qonone because: (no reason given)

rofl ... I grew up in that area, and there is NO way that that pic in the article was taken in Ekuruleni, lol ..... but maybe those mountains in the backgrounds are mine-dumps, and I just remember wrongly what mine-dumps look like, lol.... any case, no mountains close to Ekuruleni, lol, and it is definately not taken in the Kgatlehong area, (sorry if my spelling of all these new places are wrong )

I heard that the karoo is experiencing a lot of rain fall in recent months and something makes me think that in this area is a underground river/water coming from the karoo. If what I heard about the rainfall in karoo is true, karoo does not get much rainfall does it? The ground would not be that to handle much rain and also more water underground.