The Council for Geoscience is yet to confirm news and reports of an earthquake in Randfontein on the 17th December 2024, at around 20:39pm.
Reports suggest an EF2 tornado hit Randfontein on the same day.
But the Council confirmed an earthquake occured Northwest of Kamaggas, in the North West, on the 03rd December 2024.
The Council also urged the public to exercise caution and sound judgement when reading and circulating information, as it could cause panic and alarm.
This relates to news making waves via social media, of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes forecast.
Dr Eldridge Kgaswane, Chief Scientist, at the Council for Geoscience, said “as it stands, scientists cannot predict the exact time, location and magnitude of an individual earthquake, with accuracy.
Earthquake forecasting, which estimates the probability of such events, in a Region over a period of time, is possible, but not precise.”
Kgaswane also said the possibility of underwater volcanic eruptions, also making news on social media, is challenging to predict.