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Elita Chikwati : Senior Reporter
An earthquake measuring 5,6 on the Richter scale was recorded in Mozambique and felt in Chipinge, Manicaland Province, on Thursday evening.In a statement yesterday, Meteorological Services Department seismologist Mr Kwangwari Marimira said the earthquake occurred at 7:06pm.
“The earthquake was felt in Chipinge and surrounding areas. A number of people in Chipinge felt the earthquake. They felt the movements, heard the rumbling and the shaking and most were frightened. Mozambique and surrounding areas in Manicaland are within the line of weakness of the Great East African Rift System, which extends all the way from the Red Sea in the north to Manicaland and into Mozambique in the south.
“We recorded a number of foreshocks on September 21 thus indicating how susceptible the area is to earthquakes,” he said.
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He said earthquakes were the most destructive natural hazards that occurred in most countries and killed thousands every year.
In 2006 during another Mozambique earthquake of 7.2 which was felt throughout Zimbabwe, some buildings were destroyed in Chipinge.
“In Zimbabwe in 2016 alone we have recorded a number of earthquakes and some were felt in Kariba, Karoi, and Bulawayo and in Chipinge.
“On August 23 2016 an earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale was experienced north of Karoi Town at 1502hrs.
“The main causes of earthquakes in Zimbabwe are largely plate tectonics closely related to the east African rift system, mining and reservoir induced.
“We have recorded a number of mining induced earthquakes in Matabeleland South, especially in Gwanda and also in the Midlands,” he said.
According to Wikipedia, an earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the perceptible shaking of the surface of the earth, resulting from the sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust that creates seismic waves.
Online Reporter