A moderate magnitude 4.3 earthquake at a 10km depth struct 79km northwest of Beitbridge town in Matabeleland on Saturday, 21 September, at 01:06 AM, reported Volcano Discovery.
The closest larger town where the quake might have been felt is Beitbridge, which has 26,000 inhabitants. People likely experienced weak shaking there.
In the capital of Zimbabwe, Harare, 486 km away from the epicentre, the earthquake could not be felt.
Some of the places that might have been affected by the shaking include Gwanda in Mat’ South, 110km away; Louis Trichardt, 142km away in Vhembe, Limpopo, South Africa; Selebi-Pikwe, 154km away from the epicentre in Botswana; Bochun, 157km away, in Capricorn, South Africa; and Thohoyandou in Vhembe, Limpopo, 168km away from the epicentre, among several other places in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Earthquakes and tremors in Beitbridge primarily result from tectonic processes related to the East African Rift System.
This region is characterised by the movement of tectonic plates, leading to faulting and volcanic activity.
Local geological features and human activities, such as mining, can also contribute to minor seismic events.
The interactions between the African Plate and the smaller plates in the region create stress and release energy, resulting in earthquakes.