‘No warning systems in place for earthquakes,’ says Council for Geoscience

After a 3.4 magnitude tremor occurred on the coast of Cape Town on Tuesday, the national Council for Geoscience (CGS) remained unsure over whether South Africans could expect a massive earthquake soon.

The tremor occurred 60km off the Cape Town coastline, according to preliminary data recorded by the CGS.

The council released a statement earlier on Tuesday, urging resident not to panic.

“Many reports have been received from residents who have reportedly experienced the tremor during this time. It is not uncommon for tremors to occur in the ocean. Furthermore, there has been no tsunami warning issued and it is on this basis that the CGS would like to assure the public that there is no cause for panic,” said the CGS.

While the tremors were not unusual, Michelle Grobbelaar – a seismologist at the CGS – told The Citizen that the occurrence of tremors in the area could not be explained per se.

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“This is not the first time that tremors have happened in Cape Town or South African in general. The most impactful earthquake happened in the Tulbagh area, which scored a 6.3 magnitude in 1969. We don’t exactly know when we can expect another massive in the future, however, research is being conducted on a frequent basis,” she said.

Asked if there were warning systems in place for bigger earthquakes, Grobbelaar said it was unfortunate that such measures were not available at the moment.

“Well, there are no warning systems in place as we can’t really determine when the seismic waves generated by an earthquake are expected to arrive at their location. This is due to the fact that in some instances, seismic waves manoeuvre around 6km per second in the ocean.”

Source: Council for Geoscience

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