Gauteng quake | Possible aftershocks likely

JOHANNESBURG - The Council for GeoScience says it recorded a 4.4 magnitude earthquake originating from the Germiston area on Sunday morning.

Shaken South Africans took to social media shortly after 2.30am, describing moments of chaos and panic.

Willem Meintjes says the council is still investigating the cause of the earthquake at this stage but warns that we should brace ourselves for possible aftershocks.

READ: Quake shakes Gauteng

"Most of these seismic events are unique in their nature from one to another.

"We cannot with definite certainty confirm concern that there will be aftershocks or not," Meintjes said.

"We've seen in the past from relatively larger earthquakes that they tend to generate some aftershocks and this is mainly as a result of underground stress buildup that could or could not get released.

READ: Gauteng quake | Structural damage reported on East Rand

"To be prudent at this point in time, we can probably anticipate some level of tremors that could follow this one although it might not necessarily be the case."

Meintjes added that the East Rand and parts of the West Rand commonly experience seismic activity because of mining operations there.

At this point in time, the causes of this tremor are still being assessed.