Minor 2.2-magnitude tremor felt in Joburg south, CGS confirms

The Council for Geoscience (CGS) has confirmed a minor earthquake on Wednesday night in the south of Johannesburg.

Posts emerged just before 11pm on social media, claiming there had been “multiple reports of a tremor in parts of Gauteng”. Residents confirmed they had felt the tremor as well, with one saying he felt it in Soweto.

The council's Mahlatse Mononela explained the event. 

“The Council for Geoscience can confirm an earthquake occurred on Wednesday late evening at about 10.44pm. The earthquake registered a local magnitude of about 2.2 as recorded by the SA Seismograph Network (SANSN),” Mononela said.

“The epicentre was located south of Johannesburg, near Harmony Doornkop gold mine.”

The Wits School of Geoscience’s Prof Raymond Durrheim said he was not aware of any tremors felt on Wednesday night and shared details of tremors recorded in 2023.

“The most recent tremor in the Johannesburg region was a magnitude 2.37 event on July 1 2023. Its epicentre was near Wemmer Pan.”

On July 1, the CGS confirmed another minor tremor in Tzaneen, Limpopo, that morning. That tremor came days after a quake was recorded in Johannesburg and weeks after Johannesburg residents were left shaken by an earthquake measuring a magnitude of 4.4.

The earthquake originated in the Boksburg area, a few kilometres outside the East Rand Proprietary Mine, on June 10.

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