Powerful 3.4 magnitude earthquake rattles parts of Joburg and Soweto

Barely a month after a 2.5-magnitude earthquake rattled parts of Joburg, the Council for Geoscience confirmed that another earthquake has hit several areas in Gauteng.

The council’s spokesperson Mahlatse Mononela told The Citizen the quake struck on Tuesday at about 8:54pm

“The preliminary results show that the earthquake registered a local magnitude of approximately 3.4, as recorded by the South African Seismograph Network (SANSN). The epicentre was located south of Johannesburg, in Soweto.”

Earlier, Volcano Discovery, said a light magnitude 3.5 earthquake hit 50 km away from Rustenburg, North West.

“The quake had a very shallow depth of 10 km and was felt widely in the area. The shallow depth of the quake caused it to be felt more strongly near the epicentre than a deeper quake of similar magnitude would,” it said.

There were no immediate reports of any damages or injuries, but social media users took to several platforms to share their experiences.

This is not the first time that an earthquake has hit Gauteng.

January quake

In January, the Council for Geoscience confirmed that an earthquake hit several parts of Johannesburg and the West Rand.

Mononela, said the quake struck on Tuesday at about 12:29 am.

“The earthquake registered a local magnitude of approximately 2.5 as recorded by the South African Seismograph Network (SANSN).

“The epicentre was located south of Johannesburg, approximately 3km north of Harmony Doornkop Gold Mine,” Mononela said.

ALSO READ: 2.5 magnitude earthquake rattles parts of Joburg and West Rand