KENYA-TANZANIA: Seismic "swarm" close to active volcano
Source: IRIN
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NAIROBI, 18 July 2007 (IRIN) - A series of earth tremors centred in northern Tanzania has caused alarm in Kenya and Tanzania. The most powerful quake, on the afternoon of 17
July, was estimated at 5.9 by the US Geological Survey (USGS) on the Richter scale. The USGS reported that the 'swarm' of earthquakes was close to the Ol Doinyo Lengai mountain, an active
volcano on the floor of the Rift Valley in northeastern Tanzania, close to the Kenyan border. However, the agency stated that information so far available was "not sufficient to determine if the
current Tanzania swarm activity reflects a geologic process that might lead to a change in the eruptive behavior of Ol Doinyo Lengai". The last major eruption was in 1966. Geology professor
Eliud Mathu said at least 10 major tremors were felt in Tanzania and Kenya between July 12 and 18. Mathu also said investigations into the tremors, which he described as "abnormal and
strange", would continue. Fred Belton, a mathematician at Middle Tennessee State University (USA), has climbed Ol Doinyo Lengai 11 times and spent more than 100 nights on the mountain, studying
the relations between barometric pressure and lunar cycles on the volcano.
He said: "It is extremely interesting that the quakes are centred near Ol Doinyo Lengai but this does not mean it will
erupt. The quakes may just be tectonic, indicating movement in the Rift Valley, and do not necessarily mean lava is moving." No major damage has been reported, but several of the tremors caused
panic in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, when buildings shook violently. Rumours of a looming major earthquake caused the evacuation of workers from several high-rise buildings in Nairobi city centre on
18 July, as uncertainty spread. "We should all be diligent and watch out for signs of any earthquake. We should not panic. Life should continue as normal," said Kenyan government spokesman
Alfred Mutua. The tremors also affected the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha. The building housing the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was evacuated on 17 July, said Danford Mpumilwa,
the tribunal's spokesman. Kenya's main international seismic station at Kilimambogo, about 40km northeast of Nairobi, recorded the tremors and data was being analysed by both Kenyan
experts and the USGS. jn/sr/mw © IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org
