By Mark Ogagan
An earthquake of magnitude 3.4 occurred in the morning on Wednesday, May 15th, 2024, at 10:26 am local time near Stilfontein, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality, North West, South Africa, as reported by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface.
The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Stilfontein (pop. 93,100) located 13 km from the epicenter, Klerksdorp (pop. 178,900) 22 km away, Orkney (pop. 145,800) 22 km away, Potchefstroom (pop. 123,700) 30 km away, and Viljoenskroon (pop. 55,000) 35 km away.
In Paris (pop. 71,300, 57 km away), the quake was probably not felt.
Earthquake data:
Date & time: May 15, 2024 10:26 am (Johannesburg time) local time (15 May 2024 08:26 GMT)
Magnitude: 3.4
Depth: 10.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 26.9°S / 26.88°E (Dr Kenneth Kaunda, North West, South Africa)
Primary data source: EMSC
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