Shaken, not stirred: Gauteng residents rattled by tremor

• A tremor measuring somewhere between a 3.5 and 4.2 magnitude hit parts of Gauteng on Friday morning.
• On Thursday, a slight tremor was also registered on the West Rand.
• There have been 45 seismic events across the country in July.

Gauteng residents were shaken from their slumber on Friday morning when an earthquake measuring between 3.5 and 4.2 magnitude rocked the area.

The earthquake was felt across the province just after 06:30 and lasted a few minutes.

"Preliminary data indicates that the earthquake measured a magnitude of 3.5…" the Council for Geoscience said.

The council said it was still gathering information about the earthquake.

4.2-magnitude earth tremor rattles Gauteng – here’s how it compares to previous shakes

The tremor is believed to have started in the Boksburg area and reverberated to the south of Johannesburg, Sandton and Kempton Park. On social media, some residents described it as one of the strongest tremors in a few years. 

While Friday morning's earthquake was felt in most parts of the province, according to the council's seismic events tracker, Wedela on the West Rand registered a slight tremor with a 2.1 magnitude on Thursday evening. 

The Council for Geoscience has recorded 45 tremors across the country in July. The strongest tremor was registered at Gamoep in the Northern Cape, with a 4.2 magnitude.

The United States Geological Survey has confirmed at least eight tremors – with magnitudes greater than 4.2 – occurring in Gauteng since 2019, Business Insider reported. The strongest of these was reported in March 2019, when a 4.9-magnitude was felt across the West Rand.

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