The seismicity of southern Africa and incipient rifting

Since the late 1960's the Rhodesian Meteorological Services, using a network of six seismograph stations in Rhodesia and neighbouring countries, have greatly improved the monitoring resolution of the seismicity of southern Africa. These data together with existing data for the period January 1950–December 1976 have been used in this study to delineate the main seismicity zones, in southern Africa, which are considered to be areas of incipient rifting forming the southern continuation of the East African Rift System. Fault-mechanism studies further indicate that crustal extension within these zones is similar to the sense found further north in East Africa.