Johannesburg – A 5.0 magnitude earthquake struck the East Rand in Gauteng, early on Sunday morning.
Videos shared on social media depicted sustained shaking, with one Twitter user likening it to a “moving train”.
“People in Johannesburg experienced an earth tremor big enough to wake them and question their sanity,” wrote another social media user.
It is understood that it happened around 02:38.
The Council of Geoscience provided preliminary automated information about the earthquake, which occurred in Alberton according to coordinates listed on their website.
The quake has yet to be confirmed by a seismologist, and the time of the seismic activity was reported as 02:38 South African time.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) also recorded the earthquake, initially classifying it as just below a magnitude 5. Reports from residents indicated that some were awakened by the shaking, with walls reportedly trembling.
In August 2014, a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit a gold mining town near Johannesburg.
The last major quake to hit South Africa was a 6.3-magnitude tremor that struck the Western Cape province in 1969.
Serious earth tremor a few min ago felt like I was in a moving train . Lasted more than 20s. #earthquake pic.twitter.com/FVaDSds64K
— Dr Nkomo – Mbali ???? (@MsMbalie80) June 11, 2023
A powerful magnitude 5.0 #earthquake happened in Johannesburg. pic.twitter.com/Uo9jSl1Rdd
— Harun Seker (@harunseker) June 11, 2023
#Earthquake This was Benoni on the East Rand. pic.twitter.com/V6W30FbagO
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) June 11, 2023
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
