Earth tremor reported in parts of Nairobi

A “seismic-like event” had been detected near Nairobi at around 1.25pm.

In Summary
  • By Wednesday evening, reports of the earth tremor remained unconfirmed by a national or international seismological agency.
  • The closest confirmed earth movement to Kenya was a 5.1 magnitude earthquake in Huíla, Angola, as reported by Quakes Today.
A seismic-like event: 0.4 km southwest of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
A seismic-like event: 0.4 km southwest of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
Image: EARTHQUAKE MONITOR / X

Some Nairobi city residents reported feeling mild earth tremors on Wednesday afternoon.

Several sites that track earthquakes and tremors around the globe including Earthquakes Monitor said a “seismic-like event” had been detected near Nairobi at around 1.25pm.

A number of users on X said they had felt the tremor.“Did I just experience an earth tremor?” one posed.

“Anyone experienced an earth tremor? On Riara Road,” asked another.“I felt an earth tremor like 4 minutes ago.

Everything shook in my 4th-floor rented place in the easternmost part of Nairobi. Who else felt it?” asked yet another user.

By Wednesday evening, reports of the earth tremor remained unconfirmed by a national or international seismological agency.

The closest confirmed earth movement to Kenya was a 5.1 magnitude earthquake in Huíla, Angola, as reported by Quakes Today.

An earthquake or earth tremor is the shaking of the earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves.

The difference between an earthquake and a tremor is the intensity of the movement. 

Earthquakes are more intense than earth tremors. 

Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they cannot be felt, to those violent enough to propel objects and people into the air, damage critical infrastructure, and wreak destruction across entire cities. 

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