Johannesburg, SA – The epicenter of a Lowveld earthquake that caused local residents some anxious moments on Sunday was right next the Vygeboom Dam, near Badplaas, Beeld reported. The earthquake, which registered 4.7 on the Richter scale, was felt as far away as Komatipoort and areas of Swaziland, but no major damage was reported. “It felt like my whole house was shaking,” said Helen Schormann van Schagen, who lives about 20km outside Mbombela on a farm. A water pipe burst in her garden shortly afterwards, but she was unsure about whether this was a direct result of the tremors. Phillip Owen, owner of the Sudwala caves, said as far as they could tell; the caves had not been damaged. The powerful tremors started with a low rumble, just before 17:00. According to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre in France, the earthquake occurred about 5km below the earth’s surface. Exactly a year ago, an earthquake measuring 4 on the Richter scale hit Swaziland and the Eastern Highveld. The quake’s epicenter was at the Magugadam in Swaziland.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 11:11:09 +0000
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