West Rand experience regular earth tremors
A seismologist from the University of Johannesburg says this is because of stress in the earth's core.
Earth tremors caused by mine activity occur regularly on the West Rand on a smaller scale than the 5,5 magnitude earthquake that was felt in large parts in the country yesterday 5 August.
Dr Herman van Niekerk, a structural seismology lecturer at the Faculty of Science Department of Geology at the University of Johannesburg says yesterday’s earth tremor became widely known because more people felt it this time.
“Smaller earth tremors occur but are not really felt because people stay busy or have a lot of noise around them.”
However, earthquakes such as the one felt yesterday have happened in South Africa in the past 20 years. Van Niekerk says the recent earthquake is the result of tension that built up inside the earth’s core.
“It is something that has been happening for millions of years because Africa as a continent is busy separating – earthquakes therefore takes place when the earth tries to remove the tension.”
He explains this is like a piece of paper. The moment when one starts to tear the page, tension will build up along the page in the form of cracks.
The chances of more earthquakes hitting the country is a possibility but it is difficult to say when it will strike again.
