Ekurhuleni emergency services get to the bottom of another suspected tremor

What residents in the East Rand and parts of Johannesburg thought was another earth tremor was actually an explosion at a dolomite mine.

Many took to social media to report what they thought was yet another tremor, with some saying they felt the earth, windows and glass doors rattling around them.

However, the Council for Geoscience confirmed there were no reports of an earthquake in that part of the province.

“I have spoken to our seismologist team and they are not picking up anything from yesterday and this morning and what they are picking up are things that happened outside the areas mentioned. It must have been an explosion,” spokesperson Mahlatse Mononela said.

Residents of Kempton Park and other parts of the East Rand, Midrand and Johannesburg city centre complained of rattling sounds and the earth shaking.

It was established this was due to an explosion at a dolomite mine in Olifantsfontein.

Ekurhuleni emergency services said the first complaints were from Kempton Park.

“We checked in Kempton Park and found nothing. Then another report came from Olifantsfontein and we deployed our team there,” spokesperson William Ntladi said.

He said the Olifantsfontein dolomite mine accepted responsibility for the explosion, which will be investigated as it was larger in magnitude than expected.

Gauteng experienced its third earthquake in the past month on Wednesday which hit the south of Johannesburg, measuring a magnitude of 2.2. 

The largest originated in Boksburg on June 10, measuring 4.4 and felt as far afield as Johannesburg and Pretoria. 

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