Get Even More Visitors To Your Blog, Upgrade To A Business Listing >>

Earthquake likely to occur in some states in Nigeria on or before 2028



The first widely reported occurrence of an Earth Tremor in Nigeria was in 1933 expert predicted that Nigeria might experience her first earthquake on -

or before 2028 if proactive measures is not taken by the Federal government to halt certain hazard earthquake prone activities by some individuals and organisations especially industries.

Although Nigeria is not located within the major seismic zones of the world; over the years, several minor earthquakes have been experienced in some parts of the country.

     History of earthquake tremors in Nigeria 
The first widely reported occurrence of an Earth tremor in Nigeria was in 1933. Other events were reported in 1939, 1964, 1984, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2006.

The intensities of these events ranged from III to VI based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. Of these events, only the 1984, 1990, 1994 and 2000 events were instrumentally recorded. They had body wave magnitudes ranging from 4.3 to 4.5, local magnitudes between 3.7 and 4.2, and surface wave magnitudes of 3.7 to 3.9. When these events occurred, there were no functional seismological observatories in Nigeria.

However, that has now changed with the establishment of a seismographic network managed by the Centre for Geodesy and Geodynamics (CGG), Toro, Nigeria. Presently, the network has four operational stations equipped with 24-bit 4-channel recorders and broadband 30-second seismometers.

Efforts are being made to establish more stations and migrate to real-time collection of seismic data using the general packet radio service (GPRS) technology as well as automatic location of events. Remote sensing, geological and geophysical studies have revealed the presence of a NNE-SSW trending Ifewara-Zungeru fault zone which has been shown to be linked with the Atlantic fracture system.

The dynamics of the Atlantic fracture zones have been suggested to be responsible for the seismic activities experienced in the areas.

Key wordsNigeria-seismic activity-seismological observatories-Ifewara-Zungeru fault zone CLC numberP315.5

2016 research on earth tremor in Nigeria 
The Nigerian Association of Water-Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP) has called on the Federal Government year 2016 to take measures that could reduce the effects of earthquake as 6 states exist at the risk of possible earthquake.AWDROP, at a press conference addressed by its National President, Mr. Michael Ale, lamented that lack of Underground Water Abstraction Regulation in Nigeria could easily induce earthquake and sea water intrusion, “hence the need for government to ensure strict compliance in the implementation of code of practice in borehole drilling” in the country.

Ale said his Association had been informed of the salt water intrusion affecting underground water usage and subsidence along the land-ocean boundaries in shoreline areas.

Meanwhile, researchers from the Department of Geology, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, led by Dr Adepelumi Adekunle Abraham, had submitted in its report titled ‘Preliminary Assessment of Earth Tremor Occurrence in Shaki Area, Shaki West Local Government, Oyo State, indicating an impending ‘damaging earthquake’ in the next four years.

This warning was contained in a report by Dr. Adepelumi Adekunle Abraham of the Department of Geology, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State after an earth-moving tremor occurred at Shaki town, in the Shaki West Local Government, Oyo State.

Adepelumi’s reports stated, among others: “After the earth tremor of 2009 in southwestern Nigeria that was felt in several towns and villages in Oyo, Osun and Ogun states, a detailed short-term probabilistic earthquake prediction was carried out by our team, our findings indicate the probability of earthquake occurrence in the study area between the year 2009 and 2028 increased from 2.8 per cent to 91.1 per cent.”

The areas flagged by the report with the possibility of experiencing earthquake disaster are:

1. Lagos

2. Port-Harcourt

3. Warri

4. Bayelsa

5. Cross River State

6.Oyo State

2018 research on Earth tremor in Nigeria 
Recently in year 2018 two years after the above research on earthquake in some states in Nigeria the director-general of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Seidu Mohammed, disclosed this in Abuja.

He said Mpape in Abuja, Kwoi in Kaduna, Ijebu-Ode in Ogun, Shaki in Oyo and Igbogene  in Bayelsa may likely be the epicentres of earthquake if precautions were not taken.This year precisely September 7 2018 a slight tremor occurred in Mpape, Abuja.

“Though these earthquakes may have been of low-magnitude, it is now certain that earthquake occurrence has become a potential hazard to the nation,” Mohammed was quoted to have said,

He added that water extraction and recharge imbalance from aquifer were causing hydrological instability along the fractures.


Mohammed who was also the chairman of presidential committee on the Abuja tremor, the erstwhile inactive faults system in the country are gradually becoming active, and will make earthquake likely in the country.

He said a number of incidences in these locations is also a pointer to the fact that a big disaster may occur there.

He called on the federal government to take majors to avert the impending disaster..

He said analysis of a 100-year-old data done by the members of the presidential committee on Abuja tremor showed that “Mpape in Abuja is a hotspot” which is “highly susceptible” to earth tremor and other earth shakeups.

“What it means is that we need a thorough study across the country to identify such hotspots so that we can constantly monitor them from satellite system and from data from outer space,” he said.

“More than 330 metric tonnes of water being taken out every day in Abuja is causing a vacuum; is straining the earth.”

He therefore urged the federal government to take a look at indiscriminate drilling of boreholes, calling on thorough regulation on earth drilling.

He also said engineers should now take cognizance of likely earth tremor when designing and constructing buildings.

The Presidential Committee on Abuja Tremor had also said Nigeria was now prone to seismic hazards, which make earthquake occurrence a potential disaster to the country. Most prone states according to recent research include:

1.Abuja

2. Bayelsa

3.Oyo

4.Ogun

5.Kaduna


The committee disclosed that when it submitted the report of its findings to the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu.


This post first appeared on Welcome To Feadexx, please read the originial post: here

Share the post

Earthquake likely to occur in some states in Nigeria on or before 2028

×

Subscribe to Welcome To Feadexx

Get updates delivered right to your inbox!

Thank you for your subscription

×