KZN left shaken after earth tremor

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Residents along KwaZulu-Natal coast were left a little shaken following an earthquake off the coast of the province at the weekend.

The Council for Geoscience said that Saturday's earthquake had measured 3.8 on the Richter scale. Seismologists at the institute said that the 'quake happened off the coast of Umhlanga, at a depth of 5km.

"We recorded it as a magnitude 3.8 off the coast of Umhlanga, which agrees with the reports we received of how people experienced the event," seismologist Michelle Grobbelaar was quoted as saying by ANA.

"By the time that the seismic waves reached the shore, a lot of the intensity had dissipated and that is why their experience was similar to the intensity of a magnitude-three earthquake inland," she said.

According to social media, KZN residents reported having felt the earthquake as far inland as Pietermaritzburg, as far south as Margate and as far north as Richard's Bay.

No damage was reported from the brief tremor.