Kariba Hit By A 3.9 Magnitude Earthquake

A 3.9 Eathquate hit the town of Kariba this morning, The Herald reports. The epicentre of the earthquake was determined to be in Kariba Dam. According to the Meteorological Services Department:

An earthquake of magnitude 3.9 was felt in Kariba Urban and surrounding areas today on 22 June 2020 at 07:11 local time.

The determined earthquake parameters show that the earthquake occurred at Latitude -16.678S and Longitude 28.581E.The epicentre is in Kariba Dam and it was widely felt in Kariba urban.

No reports of damage were received however more inquiries would be made to determine its intensity in the locality and to determine the exact areas it was felt.

Most of the earthquakes in this region are attributed to the reservoir/dam and they are called reservoir induced earthquakes. The seismic activity arises as a result of the impoundment (confinement of water in a reservoir) of the dam

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The publication claimed the earthquake is attributed to the upward or downward variation in water levels in Lake Kariba. According to the Zambezi Water Authority, water levels at the dam have continued to rise for the past 2 months:

The Lake level has continued rising steadily, closing the period under review at 481.22m (40.97% usable storage) on 18th June 2020. Last year on the same date, the Lake level was at 479.63m (29.12% usable storage)

More: The Herald