Prime News Ghana

Here are the Earthquake-prone areas in Accra

By Justice Kofi Bimpeh
earthquake_ghana
Shares
facebook sharing button Share
twitter sharing button Tweet
email sharing button Email
sharethis sharing button Share

Some parts of Ghana's capital Accra have been marked as earthquake-prone zones.

These areas include Weija, McCarthy Hill, Gbawe, Sowutuom, Old Kasoa Barrier, New Bortianor, Awoshie, Abelemkpe, Tabora, Achimota, Ablekuma, Kissiman, Westland, Laterbiokorshie and Legon

These areas on Saturday, March 2 experienced an earth tremor with a 3.9 magnitude on a Richter scale according to the Ghana Geological Survey Authority.

Speaking to Joy FM, a senior official at the Ghana Geological Survey Authority, Nicholas Opoku said the 3.9 magnitude recorded is the highest in 2019.

He said the Survey Authority recorded 2.6 magnitude on the Richter scale on January 13, 2019, and 2.8 on February 25, 2019, with the third pointing to increased seismic activity within Accra.

“As for bigger earthquakes, one day it will come but as to when is always a problem that semiologist has not been able to unravel”.

Read also: Parts of Accra hit by Earth tremor

He said within the seismological community increasing magnitude can mean the worst is ahead.

Mr Opoku advised that the best way to handle an earthquake is to “build resilience” and explained Ghana would have to take a closer look at areas where the risk is very high and consider evacuation.

Research work dating back to 1981 indicates that most of the earthquakes in Ghana occur in the western part of Accra at the junction of the two major fault systems namely, the Coastal boundary fault and Akwapim fault zone.

According to the research, most of the epicentres are located south of Weija suggesting that there is little activity north-eastward along the Akwapim range and westward along the Coastal boundary fault.

The magnitude recorded so far in 2019 is still a distance from 6.5 magnitude, highest ever recorded in 1939 in which 17 were killed in Accra.

www.primenewsghana.com/ Ghana News

 

 

 

 

 

Â