SCIENTISTS have been sent out to the R612 near Durban which has been identified by authorities as the epicentre of the earth tremors experienced by many in Durban and surrounding areas this afternoon (31 October).
The road on which the epicenter has been located is a regional route which sees its north-western terminus at the R617 near Bulwer. It heads southeast through Donnybrook, KwaZulu-Natal to Ixopo, where it crosses the R56.
Many attributed the shake to a residual effect of the magnitude 6,6 earthquake in the Philippines which affected Indonesia and Malaysia.
ALSO READ: Durbanites shook by another tremor
However, the Head of Marketing and Communication at the Council for Geoscience speaking for the South African Weather Service (SAWS), Mahlatse Mononela, told the Highway Mail editor, Michelle Dennis: “It’s not related to the Philippines earthquake earlier today.”
“We cannot confirm the cause yet. However, we have located the epicentre which is on the R612 and have despatched scientists to the area to investigate.”
Mononela added that the tremor measured 3.7 magnitudes. “We cannot at this stage say if there will be another one,” she said but did agree to update the Highway Mail as soon as she had more information.
Reactions
#EarthQuake trended on SA Twitter causing ripples of laughter at the effects of which were felt far and wide on Thursday as people ended off their Halloween Day at work.
South Africans, and Durbanites, in particular, are not very experienced in earth tremors. Most suffer from extreme shock each time there is even a minor tremor despite there having been at least half a dozen recorded instances in the past three years. Consequently, the incident was widely described on social media as an #Earthquake.
NOT even an #earthquake can stop South Africans humor pic.twitter.com/dixORjGfkm
— L-DawgDJ ???????? (@LDawg_DJ) October 31, 2019
This led to some commenting on it having been caused by a variety of things, including spooks and recent upsets in political parties as evidenced by some of the tweets shared on Thursday afternoon.
https://twitter.com/EloquentTash/status/1189875654625579008
Guys relax it was just kaizer chiefs landing in Durban #earthquake pic.twitter.com/v08zVeBFeq
— Indoda Ezamayo ???? (@underdog_zoomer) October 31, 2019
The Highway Mail will publish an update as we receive further information from SAWS which as a member of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) complies with international meteorological standards.
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