03 Apr 2018

Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security, Advocate Sadique Kebonang says they were 11 recorded earthquake events between April 2016 and March 2017.

Advocate Kebonang said major epicentres, frequency and magnitude of the Richter scale were recorded on April 3, 2017 to February 9, 2018.

On April 3, 2017, the south eastern border of the Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve recorded an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 at 38 kilometres east of Ghagho Mine, and on April 5 another earth quake with a magnitude of 5.0 was recorded at the Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve area.

It was also felt in most parts of the country. Advocate Kebonang said on April 8 still in the Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve an earth quake of 4.6 magnitude was reported and that tremors were felt in most parts of the country.

An earthquake of 4.9 magnitude, he said, was felt 168 kilometres west of Serowe on July 4 and that another one followed on August 12 fifteen kilometres south-southwest of Sojwe with a magnitude of 4.8 while on November 1 a 4.7 magnitude earth quake was reported 139 kilometres of Moiyabana, 170 kilometres west of Serowe.

He said a 3.0 magnitude earth quake was reported in the Kazungula area on the Zambian side of border.

He said those that  occurred in 2016 were instrumentally recorded by stations outside Botswana.

He noted that Botswana has technology that could detect earth quakes, adding that there was no technology developed in the world that detected earth quakes before they occured.

He said countries with advanced technology who had been collecting data over several years could at best estimate from trends on the basis that some of the events were cyclic.

“It is for this reason that Botswana has embarked in earthquake monitoring and data collection, and the Botswana Geoscience Institute has installed 21 monitoring stations around the country that help collect this data,” he said.

He said when a large earth quake occurred like the one that occurred on April 3 last year, after shocks and small tremors may be expected post the major one.

“This is the reason for most of the tremors that were experienced after April 3, 2017. Yes, earth quakes can trigger other natural phenomena depending on the soil/grounding conditions, for example landslides, but this is not expected in Botswana because it is semi-arid,” he said.

He said the Botswana Geoscience Institute, funds permitting, would carry out seismic micro zonation to determine risks associated with earth quakes.

MP for Chobe, Mr Machana Shamukuni had asked the minister to state the number of earth tremors/quakes that occurred over the past two years, the major epicentres, frequency and magnitude on the Richter scale.

He also wanted to know if Botswana had an early warning system and capacity to detect the earth quakes before they occurred, and if there were any post tremor natural phenomena anticipated that required preparedness. ENDS