Abstract
Historical earthquake information forms a critical dataset for seismo-tectonic investigations that can be used seismic hazard (SH) investigations of hazardous and high rise structures and national SH maps. This study systematically interrogates historical earthquake data for the region from various sources in order to have a better understanding of the origins of the larger earthquakes. Several previously undocumented earthquakes were found that can supplement the national catalogue. Various sources are postulated as origins of these tremors, namely local sources located in Mtubatuba and offshore sources as in the Mozambique Channel. These results re-emphasise the need to better understand the coastal environment for seismo-tectonic characterisation and to densify the seismic network towards the eastern coastline.
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Acknowledgments
The financial assistance of the National Research Foundation (NRF) and UKZN towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at are those of the authors and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NRF. Vuyo Zungu is thanked for comparing the historical datasets. The CGS provided the historical datasets. Marco Andreoli from NECSA provided the specialist historical report and important reviews, Dr Hermanus Brynard provided the cartography and Mr Jay Jackson edited the document.
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Singh, M., Akombelwa, M. & Maud, R. Analysis of possible sources of some unregistered historical earthquake tremors that affected the KwaZulu-Natal coastal regions of South Africa for seismo-tectonic investigations. Nat Hazards 75, 2279–2289 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-014-1425-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-014-1425-8