An earth tremor has been recorded in parts of the capital, Accra.
People living around Gbawe, Sowutuom, Old Kasoa Barrier, New Bortianor, Awoshie, Abelemkpe, Tabora, Achimota, Ablekuma, Kissiman, Westland, Laterbiokorshie, Legon and McCarthy Hill have confirmed experiencing the tremor.
Some said they felt their buildings and rooms vigorously shake during the tremor which some report came with loud thunder.
They claimed it occurred around 11:30 pm on Saturday.
Some of them took to social media to make the announcement:
Did I just experienced earth tremor?
— Kenneth Nana Rattle (@NanaRattle) March 3, 2019
Someone just told me it’s Earth Tremor.
Massa, whether Tremor or Earthquake the earth Shake and it’s not a joke— Hanson (@amhanxon) March 2, 2019
This small Earth 🌏 tremor my neighbor Deh shout shout shout Jesus save us Jesus save ah Ghana people deeeer no no no dabi da 😂😂😂
— DJ Manni (@dj_manni) March 2, 2019
“As for me, I can’t sleep again. Very serious bro…. Achimota, Lapaz and East Legon are not within the earth prone range ….but this time, we felt it paaa…We are safe,” said one Kwodwo.
Fear-stricken Tony in Mallam also said “I haven’t felt anything like it before. It was scary.”
Weija resident Leah also stated that: “I felt it paa…Am even on the 2nd floor of my apartment but I felt the vibration paa…Wooow…”
Tremor in December 2018
Accra recorded a similar shake in December 2018 around Weija and Gbawe in the Ga South Municipality.
The tremor, which occurred at about 7:50 a.m. on Sunday, December 9, 2018, shook buildings, creating some panic among the residents.
A similar shake was also recorded in Accra on January 13, 2019. The Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) said the earth tremor measured 2.6 on the Richter Scale and occurred in parts of Accra at 5:01 p.m.
The tremor, which lasted for about six seconds, occurred about 18 km away from the Achimota Station of the GGSA, according to the reading on the seismometer there, which also showed that the epicentre of the tremor was around Weija.
Earthquake may be imminent in Ghana – Geological Authority warns
The Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) after the tremor warned Ghanaians to brace themselves for a possible earthquake.
A senior official of the GGSA, Nicholas Opoku in a Citi News interview at the time said there were adequate signals that an earthquake was imminent and said there was a need for preparation to avoid surprises.
“The small ones also happen very frequently but the big ones don’t happen frequently. The small ones [tremors], when they happen frequently, give an indication that there is a big one [earthquake] there that may happen in the future. It is a signal that we have to prepare for so that we are not taken by surprise,” he said.
Statistics of tremors in Ghana
In January 2006, a tremor measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale rippled through parts of the capital, according to the Geological Survey Department.
It was registered by two of the Department’s monitoring stations at Weija and Kukurantumi.
There was a similar tremor – measuring 3.8 on the Richter Scale – in May 2003.
Suburbs of the Capital, such as Dansoman, Weija, Ashalley Botwe, Madina, East Legon, Trade Fair and Sakumono and their adjoining areas all felt the earth movement.
In 1997, three tremors shook Accra within three months. The first tremor, experienced on January 8, measured 3.8 on the Richter Scale; the second on February 15, measured 4.1; and the third, on March 6 was 4.8.
Reports indicate that the worst tremor experienced in Ghana was in 1936, at Axim in the Western region which caused a lot of damage.
What causes an earthquake or tremor?
According to Wikipedia. an earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth, resulting from the sudden release of energy in the Earth’s lithosphere that creates seismic waves.
Earthquakes can range in size from those that are so weak that they cannot be felt to those violent enough to toss people around and destroy whole cities.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey website, an earthquake is caused by a sudden slip on a fault.
The website explained that the tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction.
“When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth’s crust and cause the shaking that we feel.”
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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey | citinewsroom.com | [email protected] | Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin
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