Johannesburg - A month after Gauteng residents were shaken awake by an earthquake, the Council for Geoscience (CGS) has confirmed that yet another earthquake occurred on Saturday evening, July 22.
It is reported that the epicentre was located south of Johannesburg, 2km south of Harmony Doornkop Gold Mine, with a magnitude of approximately 2.98.
"The Council for Geoscience (CGS) can confirm that an earthquake occurred on Saturday evening, July 22, at around 6.46pm.The earthquake registered a local magnitude of approximately 2.98, as recorded by the SA National Seismograph Network (SANS).
“The epicentre was located south of Johannesburg, 2km south of Harmony Doornkop Gold Mine. The public is encouraged to record their experiences using the available online questionnaire."
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi also confirmed the earthquake.
"We are awaiting official confirmation of the #Tremor around the Roodepoort/Kagiso/Soweto area. Our emergency teams are combing the area," he posted on Twitter.
Last month, the automated information recorded by the GCS indicated a 4.4-magnitude earthquake, locating the epicentre in the Boksburg area a few kilometres outside East Rand Proprietary Mine (ERPM), on the East Rand of Johannesburg, at 2.38am.
While no dire injuries or severely damaged buildings were reported, some houses were left with cracks in their walls.
It was also not known whether the tremor was due to natural seismic activity or mining activity.
In an official statement that was shared, the council indicated the epicentre to be Boksburg in Ekurhuleni and further urged the public to be vigilant.
"We’ve seen in the past that relatively larger earthquakes than this one that has occurred have a tendency to have aftershocks or subsequent seismic energy released as a result of these earthquakes, so we would implore the public to remain vigilant," said the council's Willem Meintjes.
While GCS was probing whether mining activity or fluctuations in groundwater levels were provoked by the tremor, the council's Michelle Grobler revealed that a string of tremors happened in the area due to mining activity.
The Star