/ 27 August 2008

Undersea quake affects Cape tides

An undersea earthquake is believed to have triggered a mini-tsunami off the Cape West Coast last week, the National Sea Rescue Institute says.

An undersea earthquake is believed to have triggered a mini-tsunami off the Cape West Coast last week, causing noticeable fluctuations in tidal patterns, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said on Wednesday.

NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the earthquake caused a mudslide that caused the wave phenomenon known as a tsunami.

”You get about five earthquakes around the world every day, so it is not unusual — it’s just that it came without warning,” said Lambinon, adding that the quake was not severe enough to warrant a tsunami warning.

He explained that South Africa is part of an early-warning tsunami monitoring system that is based in Hawaii. If the quake had registered over a certain point on the Richter scale, a tsunami warning would have been issued.

The tidal changes caused damage to some factories in St Helena Bay, the Herald reported. — Sapa