The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) has allayed fears over the recent earth tremors experienced in the Federal Capital Territory, urging residents not to panic.
In a statement, Director-General Professor Olusegun Ige disclosed that NGSA has been monitoring the tremors and found them to be low in intensity, posing no significant threat to the environment.
The statement reads: “The Monitoring Station (NGSA-5) at Katampe has been capturing several significant ground motions with high moment magnitudes (Mw) over the past five days, beginning from September 13, 2024, to the present date.”
On September 13th, only one mild event was recorded. Six events were captured on September 14th, and over 21 events were recorded on September 15th, with higher intensities. More than twenty events were noted on September 16th, with an increasing intensity and frequency from September 13th to 16th. A few weak events have been recorded today, September 17th.
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 conducted on-the-spot assessments of the affected areas.
Based on accounts from residents, observations by the NGSA team, and earlier interpretations of airborne geophysical data, the following conclusions were made:
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The tremors are a result of accumulated stress along identified faults and released seismic energy, which may have traveled through associated fractures to areas where the tremors were felt around the FCT.
“There are multiple epicenters associated with the recent tremor. Most epicenters are located northeast of the NGSA-5 Seismic Station around the Mpape axis, while a few are located southwest of the station around the Katampe axis.”
“The intensities of the tremors are weak to light, ranging from III to IV on the Modified Mercalli Scale, and pose a very low-level threat.”
Residents of Mpape, Katampe, Maitama, and other affected areas are advised not to panic, as the tremors are generally considered low in intensity. The Agency is closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates as necessary.
The general public should also be aware that NGSA Seismic Stations are being monitored in real time to ensure prompt alerts on any significant events.
