Geoscientist explains cause of Durban tremor

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31-10-2019
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Durban - A geoscientist has said that there is no need for residents to panic following a tremor felt in and around Durban on Thursday.

Professor of Physical Geography at the University of the Witwatersrand, Jasper Knight said South Africa feels quite a few earthquakes.

"But this one was fairly unusual because of its location. The quake here occurred north west of Port Shepstone and was of a reasonable 4.3 magnitude," he said.

Knight said this one was fairly shallow at 10km depth.

"It likely took place along fractures in the ancient African crust, similar to a bigger one that took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday. These are just the moans and groans of an old continent and often are not big enough to cause significant damage. But they tell us that the rocks are still alive," he said.

Jasper said the tremor was not linked to the recent earthquake in the Philippians earlier this week.

A Durban resident who monitors earthquakes said there is no need for panic.

"It is not uncommon to have these rumbles. I don't believe that people need to panic," he said.