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Dr. David Khoza, Executive Director of Applied Geosciences at the Geosciences Council, explains the effects of earthquakes.
A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coast of South Africa on Saturday. While that magnitude is considered a major earthquake, people who felt tremors in Cape Town actually experienced a smaller event. It was only a magnitude of 2.5.
Dr David Khoza, Executive Director for Applied Geosciences at the Council on Geosciences, says Cape Town is unlikely to have experienced the effects of the great earthquake. Rather it was the result of a smaller event that occurred north of Durbanville in the Western Cape. He adds that there was a discrepancy of one hour and 15 minutes between the events.
The 6.2 magnitude event basically happened a little earlier. Because it was so far away, more than 1600 km south of South Africa along the African plate module, it was highly unlikely that we would feel that event. We are attributing it to the smaller event that is happening north of Durbanville.
Dr. David Khoza, Executive Director of Applied Geosciences at the Geosciences Council
While the tremors were a shock to many people, Dr. Khoza says the Western Cape is unfamiliar with seismic events. It says there have been a number of major events in the past that caused damage. As for those who feel the tremors and those who don’t, Dr. Khoza says it all depends on the geology.
You may be sitting 20 km from the epicenter and you may not feel anything, and someone sitting on the other side, 20 km from the epicenter, will feel the tremors. And that depends purely on the rocks on which they spread.
Dr. David Khoza, Executive Director of Applied Geosciences at the Geosciences Council
So if they spread over soft sand, for example, even a shallow earthquake could cause quite significant damage. But if they spread over a very hard rock, you may not feel as much as the other person on the other side.
Dr. David Khoza, Executive Director of Applied Geosciences at the Geosciences Council
Dr. Khoza says that they constantly monitor faults across the country and that the Western Cape has several fault networks. Add to monitor both natural and man-made events, such as mining-induced earthquakes.
For those who are concerned about the great earthquake off the coast, which caused a tsunami, Dr. Khoza says there is no need to worry immediately.
In this case, the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning Center, in which we participate, did not issue a tsunami warning for this earthquake.
Dr. David Khoza, Executive Director of Applied Geosciences at the Geosciences Council
I must be clear, at this point, we cannot predict earthquakes. So to say that it’s more likely to happen in the future, we don’t know, because we can’t predict, all we are doing is monitoring current events. When they happen, we then watch and try to issue alerts as they arrive.
Dr. David Khoza, Executive Director of Applied Geosciences at the Geosciences Council
_Listen to the full audio below: _
This article first appeared on CapeTalk: Did you feel no shaking in Cape Town? This is why
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