FG assures Abuja residents not to panic, says tremors are weak
The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) has reassured residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) regarding recent earth tremors.
The Mpape community, located in the Bwari Area Council of Abuja, was thrown into panic following a minor tremor felt in the area.
In a statement on Wednesday, Professor Olusegun Ige, Director-General of the NGSA, urged residents not to panic.
Ige explained that the NGSA monitored the tremors and determined that they were low in magnitude and did not pose any threat to the environment.
Statement from NGSA regarding Recent Seismic Activity
The Monitoring Station (NGSA-5) at Katampe has been capturing several significant ground motions with high moment magnitudes (Mw) in the past five days, beginning from September 13, 2024, to date.
On September 13th, only one mild event was recorded. Six events were captured on September 14th, while over 21 events were recorded on September 15th, with higher intensities. More than 20 events were observed on September 16th. The intensity and frequency of the tremors appear to have increased from September 13th to 16th. Today, September 17th, there are a few weak events recorded.
Preliminary analysis of the waveforms indicates that the sources of the ground motions are less than 5 km away from the monitoring station.
The NGSA team also visited the affected areas for on-the-spot assessments. Based on accounts from residents, observations by the NGSA team, and findings from earlier airborne geophysical data interpretations over the area and its surroundings, the following conclusions were made:
The tremors are a result of accumulated stress along identified faults, releasing seismic energy that may have traveled through associated fractures to areas where the tremors were felt around the FCT.
There are multiple epicenters associated with the recent tremors. Most epicenters are located northeast of the NGSA-5 Seismic Station, around the Mpape axis, while a few are situated southwest of the station, around the Katampe axis.
The intensities of the tremors are classified as weak to light, ranging from III to IV on the Modified Mercalli Scale, and pose a very low level of threat.
Residents of Mpape, Katampe, Maitama, and other areas where the tremors were felt are advised not to panic, as the tremors can be generally described as low. The Agency is closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates as necessary.
The general public should be aware that the NGSA Seismic Stations are being monitored in real-time to ensure prompt alerts for any major events.
Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at Neptune Prime.
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