Earthquake trends on Twitter after tremors hit Cape Town

*Update: The Council for Geosciences has said that the earthquakes in Cape Town do not appear to be related to the offshore earthquake. You can read our latest story here, along with information on how to keep track of seismic events in South Africa.

The hashtag #earthquake trended in South Africa after residents in Cape Town felt tremors from an earthquake south of the continent.

Many experienced a rumbling noise and shaking ground at around 8.45pm on Saturday evening (26 September) in Cape Town. Most reports seem to come from Milnerton, Bloubergstrand, and the surrounding areas.

Users took to local WhatsApp groups and social media to ask what had happened. Some questioned whether it was an explosion.

However, earthquake alerts soon surfaced on Twitter and other websites.

A search for “earthquake” in Google showed that there had been reports of shaking near Melkbosstrand.

Within 20 minutes of the tremors, #earthquake became the top trend on Twitter in South Africa.

What caused the Cape Town tremors?

Multiple seismic monitoring websites noted that a 6.2 magnitude earthquake occurred south of the continent around 2 hours before Capetonians felt the shockwave.

EarthquakeTrack.com and the UC Berkeley Seismology Lab also confirmed the earthquake.

While the tremors were relatively mild (similar to tremors caused by mining activity in Johannesburg), many residents of the Mother City were alarmed by the occurrence.

After all, it was a completely novel experience for many residents of Cape Town.

The earthquake tremors experienced in Cape Town lasted for a few seconds before going quiet. However, it is possible that milder aftershocks could also be felt later on.

Feature image: Screenshot/EarthquakeTrack.com