Earth tremor measured at 3.1

Quite a few people woke up in a shaking bed on Tuesday morning, due to an earth tremor off shore KZN.

According to Earthquake Track the tremor hit in Sundumbili, Mandeni and was 10 km deep, measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale, but the Zululand Observer reported that the tremor measured 3.1 just outside Gingindlovu according to Martin Brandt, a seismologist working for the Council of Geoscience in Pretoria.

Professor of geology, Steve McCourt from the University of KZN said although earthquakes are a natural phenomena, it is unusual for this part of the world.

“Earthquakes happen when rocks release stress, which builds up over time caused by the internal activity of the planet,” he said.

He said when too much stress builds up, the rocks crack, which cause the earthquake sensation.

“There are many fault lines or fractured surfaces that run parallel to the KZN coast, which is where earthquakes occur, however, they are generally so small that we do not feel them.”

McCourt added that even with the most sophisticated instrumentation, no one can accurately predict when an earthquake will hit.