Earthquakes in South Africa
In South Africa, earthquakes can be strong and cause heavy damages in a circle of dozens of kilometers. Measured against the size of the country, earthquakes occur very rarely.55 people died since 1950 by direct consequences of earthquakes.
Other natural hazards in South Africa:
› Tsunamis
› Cyclones
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Earthquakes in South Africa since 1950
The strongest earthquake in South Africa happened on 09/29/1969 in the Cape Province region with a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter scale. The shifting of tectonic plates in a depth of 32 km resulted in 12 deaths.Date | Region | Depth | Magnitude | Deaths | Total damage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
05/03/2018 | West Rand | 2.1 | 7 | ||
08/05/2014 | Orkney | 38 km | 5.5 | 1 | |
12/06/2009 | Carletonville | 59 km | 3.5 | 2 | |
03/09/2005 | Klerksdorp, Stilfontein | 31 km | 4.3 | 2 | |
02/07/2000 | Mbabane-Manzini | 57 km | 4.5 | 0 | |
07/21/1997 | Avgold's Hartebeestfontein Mine | 49 km | 5.0 | 15 | |
10/18/1990 | Charletonville | 44 km | 4.0 | 10 | |
09/26/1990 | Welkom | 23 km | 4.2 | 2 | |
10/05/1986 | Mount Frere, Durban | 20 km | 4.8 | 0 | |
12/08/1976 | South Africa | 25 km | 5.2 | 4 | |
10/05/1969 | Tulbagh | 5.8 | 0 | ||
09/29/1969 | Cape Province | 32 km | 6.3 | 12 |
These statistics are based on datas from the National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Data have been summarized and translated.