•UoN lecturer says earthquake was on land, hence cannot cause tsunami.
• Earthquakes are strong as a result of collision.
Image: FILE
A scholar has dismissed claims that the earthquake that rocked Kenya could cause a tsunami.
University of Nairobi lecturer Daniel Ichang’i said there is no cause for alarm as "earthquakes have been there since time immemorial."
"I see a lot of panic over nothing and speculations that the earthquake is likely to cause a tsunami. That is not true," he told the Star on phone.
Ichang’i heads the Geology department.
He said the earthquake was on land, hence it cannot generate a tsunami.
"When Jesus Christ died, there was some earthquake so let us not alarm our people," he said.
On Sunday, a light earthquake of magnitude 4.8 on the Richter scale was experienced in parts of the country at 7:21 pm.
The depth was 9.54km, with its epicenter in Wundanyi, Taita Taveta county, according to the Kenya Meteorological Department.
The department added that the tremor had caused no significant damage.
"There is no damage expected from a minor earthquake of magnitude between 4-4.9 on the Richter scale. Residents at the Coast are urged not to panic as the epicenter was not in the ocean, but from land hence cannot cause a tsunami," Met said on Twitter.
Ichang’i said the earth is divided into three layers, the outer layer is called the crust which is rocky.
"It is divided up into plates. The plates are riding over the interior layer called the mantle which moves," he said.
Where the plates meet and interact with each other is where there are focal points for earthquakes, he said.
"The earth is a globe, you see it is a ball, so some of these plates are pushed under others. They accumulate stress being rocky to a point the rock feels as if it is pushed down," he said.
Ichang’i said when the rock is pushed, it vibrates and breaks and releases energy in form of earthquakes in all directions from the point of failure.
"That is why some of the earthquakes are focused nine kilometres below the surface while others are deeper,"he said.
Ichang’i said the Pacific plate, Western side of America, China, South America, Japan, Indonesia and Asia is where there are a lot of earthequakes.
The Pacific plate is shrinking but in a very slow speeds, he said, adding that there are other places where the plates are being created.
“The plates are moving apart and new plates are being created. For example, you have the Oceanic rift in the middle of the Atlantic, somewhere in the Indian Ocean; we have what we call spreading centres, again you get earthquakes because plates move aside."
Ichang’i said earthquakes are strong as a result of collision.“That is what happens, it is the release of energy accumulated on a global scale in these margins that causes earthquakes."
The scholar said they are still researching areas prone to earthquakes.
Motorists using the Naivasha - Mai Mahiu Road were urged to exercise caution following faults caused by Sunday's tremor.
Met said the tremor was felt in Naivasha, Nakuru, Makueni, Mombasa, Kiambu and Nyeri.
The Kenya National Highways Authority said that a fault has been cited at Fay Amario, about eight kilometres from Naivasha.
"Kenha engineers are on site monitoring any resultant damages to the road surface. In the meantime, traffic police have been deployed to the site to direct traffic on a detour of the road section that has been created to facilitate traffic flow," the authority said in a statement.
Private vehicle operators were advised to use the main Kamandura - Limuru - Kinungi - Naivasha highway.
"Heavy commercial vehicle operators are urged to exercise caution and restraint, and to follow traffic flow directions that are being provided by the Traffic Police Department," the statement said.
It added, "We advise all motorists to observe lane discipline and avoid overlapping, which can result in traffic flow disruptions."