Evidence wa ka Ngobeni
A top-level scientific investigation has been launched to detect the possibility of a volcanic eruption at a tiny village near Thohoyandou, Northern Province.
The probe, being conducted by a team of six scientists, was started two weeks ago after communities from Siloam in the Nzhelele district reported land deformations and mudslides.
The Siloam community, recovering from recent devastating floods, has heard rumbling noises from within the earth and has seen hot water fountains.
Volcanoes are one of the planet’s most dramatic and violent agents of change.
The hot water, which has reached more than 70 degrees celsius, has been cited as a significant sign of possible volcanic activity in the area. South Africa has never experienced a volcanic eruption.
A representative of the local municipality said it is believed the Siloam area and its surrounding massive mountain “is a volcanic area” and the hot ground water could be a signal of impending volcanic activity.
Countries like the United States have strategies to detect volcano activity and possible eruptions. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), accurate warnings and predictions of a volcanic eruption “are sometimes possible but still rare in vulcanology”.
But the USGS says most eruptions are preceded by some kind of ground deformation. However, it warns, volcanoes around the world “exhibit different patterns of unrest in the weeks to hours before they erupt, which means that uniform and strict criteria cannot be applied to all episodes of unrest”.
Thohoyandou/Malamulele municipality representative Aluwani Netsianda said that although fears of a possible volcano are rife in the area, the council “has decided not to take precautionary measures at this stage” and would wait for the conclusion of the scientific probe.
Scientists from the University of Venda (Univen), have been conducting investigations in the area for months.
According to Univen representative Professor Omara-Ojungu, the initial investigation was not aimed at detecting any possible quake or volcanic eruption.
“Our initial investigation was launched after the community reported that excessive cold water was coming out of the ground. They also reported that it was hard to sleep at night because of the rumbling noise coming from within the ground. Their houses were also cracking due to the Earth’s movement,” Omara-Ojungu said. “Our scientists found that the problem was caused by an underground water floor, which was caused by the recent floods.”
But two weeks ago the community reported that there was hot water coming from the ground.
“We found that very strange and we decided to conduct an investigation to see if there is any evidence of a possible volcanic eruption or earth movement,” Omara-Ojungu said.
“Although we have no basis to believe that there is a possible volcanic eruption at this stage, we decided to look at the worst-case scenario and that is to conduct an investigation into the deep earth movement to see if there is any basis of a volcanic eruption or earthquake”.
Omara-Ojungu said the team of scientists does not have sufficient funding to conduct the investigation and that Univen’s department of mining and environmental geology does not have the proper equipment to detect volcanic activity and earthquakes. Equipment was provided by the Geosciences Council in Pretoria, which has seconded two scientists to help in the investigation.