The following is a list of notable earthquakes or tremors that have been detected within South Africa.
According to Professor Andrzej Kijko from the University of Pretoria's Natural Hazard Centre, mining can activate natural faults. He believes that 95% of South Africa's earthquakes are caused by mining, especially around the areas of Klerksdorp, Welkom and Carletonville. According to earth science consultant Dr Chris Hartnady, "This part of Africa is in the vicinity of the African Rift system, which is being pulled apart by a few millimetres annually." He says "earthquakes are caused by a slip on a fault line and the release of stored elastic energy" and mining activity can trigger earthquakes.[1]
Earthquake data
For earthquakes prior to the modern era, the magnitude and epicentre location are only approximate, and were calculated based on available reports from the time. The magnitude where given is measured using the Richter scale (
20th and 21st century
| Date | Time (SAST) | Epicentre | Region | | Depth | Deaths | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 September 1969 | Near Tulbagh | Western Cape | 6.3 | 12 [2] | The 1969 Tulbagh earthquake remains the most destructive earthquake in South African history. The earthquake occurred in the Tulbagh area and measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, stronger than that of the 1809 Cape Town earthquake which destroyed a local Milnerton farm.[3][4] | ||
| 14 April 1970 | Tulbagh-Ceres-Wolseley area | Western Cape | 5.7 | Second quake[5] | |||
| 8 December 1976 | Welkom | Free State | 5.2 | 4 | Miners.[6] | ||
| 26 September 1990 | Welkom | Free State | 4.2 | 2[6] | |||
| 9 March 2005 | Stilfontein, | North West | 5.3 | 2 | Miners were killed underground.[7][8] | ||
| 28 May 2013 | Near Mbabane | Eswatini | 4.0 | The earthquake was felt in Newcastle and lasted about six seconds.[9] | |||
| 22 June 2013 | 07:08 | Thabazimbi | Limpopo | 3.9 | 9 km | The earthquake was felt up in the Thabazimbi area.[10] | |
| 7 July 2013 | 16:52 | Barberton | Mpumalanga | 4.7 | 5 km | The earthquake was felt in the Barberton area.[11] | |
| 11 November 2013 | University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg | Gauteng | 4.0 | The earthquake was felt as far as parts of northern and southern Johannesburg and lasted for around 10–15 seconds.[12] | |||
| 2 December 2013 | 21:18 | ~25 km south of Bela-Bela | Limpopo | 4.8 | 5 km | The earthquake was felt as far as Parkhurst and Randburg in Johannesburg, Hartebeespoort Dam in North West, Witbank and KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga, and Soshanguve near Pretoria.[13][14] | |
| 15 June 2014 | 18:16 | Near Orkney | North West | 4.9 | 5 km | The earthquake was felt up to Potchefstroom.[15] | |
| 5 August 2014 | 12:22 | Near Orkney | North West | 5.5 | 5.0 km | The earthquake was felt as far as parts of Botswana and Durban, it lasted for around 90 sec. The local Council for Geoscience measured the earthquake at 5.5 on the Richter scale, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a moment magnitude of 5.4.[16][17][18][19] | |
| 22 August 2014 | 1:14 | Near Orange Farm | Gauteng | 3.8 | 10 km | The second earthquake in South Africa in less than three weeks.[20] No reports of injuries.[21] The Council for Geoscience (CGS) in South Africa reported an earthquake of 3.8 with two aftershocks occurring within minutes of each other of 3.2 and 2.0 respectively.[22] | |
| 31 October 2019 | 13:20 | Near Port Shepstone | KwaZulu-Natal | 4.3 | 10 km | The CGS reported an earthquake of a preliminary value of 3.7 on the local magnitude scale. However, the USGS has it logged as 4.3[23][24] | |
| 26 September 2020 | 19:10 | 1600 km SE of South Africa | Western Cape | 6.1 | 10 km | USGS report.[25] Mistakenly reported to have been felt in Cape Town. See below earthquake. | |
| 26 September 2020 | 20:41 | 12 km W of Paarl | Western Cape | 2.7 | 5 km | Felt by residents in Cape Town area. CGS report.[26] USGS report.[27] | |
| 27 September 2020 | 09:12 | Durbanville Area, Cape Town | Western Cape | 2.6 | 5 km | Felt by residents in Cape Town area. CGS report.[28] USGS report. [29] | |
| 17 November 2020 | 00:27 | 41 km S of Saldanha | Western Cape | 3.5 | 5 km | Felt by residents in Cape Town area. CGS report.[30] USGS report. [31] | |
| 30 July 2021 | 06:30 | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 3.6 | 10 km | Felt by residents in Johannesburg. CGS report. USGS report. [32] | |
| 05 November 2022 | 14:32 | 23 km from Umvoti Local Municipality | KwaZulu-Natal | 4.6 | 9 km | Felt by residents in Durban area. | |
| 11 June 2023 | 02:38 | 2 kilometers from Alberton. | Gauteng | 5.0 | 10 km | Felt by residents across the city of Johannesburg and the region as a whole.[33] |