Cape Town - An undersea earthquake is believed to have triggered a mini-tsunami off the Cape west coast last week, causing noticeable fluctuations in tidal patterns, the National Sea Rescue Institute said on Wednesday,
NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the earthquake caused a mudslide which caused the wave phenomenon known as a tsunami.
"You get about five earthquakes around the world every day, so it is not unusual - it's just that it came without warning," said Lambinon, adding that the quake was not severe enough to warrant a tsunami warning.
He explained that South Africa is part of early-warning tsunami monitoring system that is based in Hawaii. If the quake had registered over a certain point on the Richter Scale, a tsunami warning would have been issued.
The tidal changes caused damaged to some factories in St Helena Bay, the EP Herald reported.
On August 26 a tsunami warning was issued for an island in Indonesia's west Java after a powerful earthquake at sea, Agence France Presse reported.
More than 100 000 people died in Indonesia alone when a tsunami struck the coast off Aceh in 2004.
The effect of the tsunami was felt as far afield as the east African coastline.
NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the earthquake caused a mudslide which caused the wave phenomenon known as a tsunami.
"You get about five earthquakes around the world every day, so it is not unusual - it's just that it came without warning," said Lambinon, adding that the quake was not severe enough to warrant a tsunami warning.
He explained that South Africa is part of early-warning tsunami monitoring system that is based in Hawaii. If the quake had registered over a certain point on the Richter Scale, a tsunami warning would have been issued.
The tidal changes caused damaged to some factories in St Helena Bay, the EP Herald reported.
On August 26 a tsunami warning was issued for an island in Indonesia's west Java after a powerful earthquake at sea, Agence France Presse reported.
More than 100 000 people died in Indonesia alone when a tsunami struck the coast off Aceh in 2004.
The effect of the tsunami was felt as far afield as the east African coastline.
