3.4 magnitude earthquake rattles Cape Town, no tsunami warning issued

Measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale as recorded by the South African Seismograph Network, it is the third recorded earthquake this year.

CAPE TOWN, November 17 (ANA) – An offshore earthquake occurred in the early hours of Tuesday just 60 kilometres off the Cape Town coastline, the Council for Geoscience (CGS) which is the custodian of the South African National Seismograph Network confirmed.

Measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale as recorded by the network, this is the third recorded earthquake this year.

The CGS said it received many reports from Cape Town residents who experienced the tremor. It is not uncommon for tremors to occur in the ocean, the council added in a statement.

It did not issue a tsunami warning and assured the public that there was no cause for panic.

On September 26, a 6.2 -magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of southern Africa, 1,918km from Cape Town. According to reports, its epicentre was at a depth of 10 kilometres. There were no reports of damage.

Local media said a second tremor was felt just hours after the initial one, but authorities said the two were not linked.

According to the CGS, the tremor registered a preliminary 2.3 on the local magnitude scale, with its epicentre around 5- 6 kilometres north of Durbanville, which is 29 kilometres outside Cape Town.

Director at the University of Pretoria’s Natural Hazard Centre Professor Andrzej Kijko told news outlet Business Insider in October that Cape Town was likely to experience another major earthquake sooner or later and recent seismic activity in the vicinity of the city could be an indicator of rising tectonic stresses.

African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa