Speaker
Description
The West African region has experienced devastating earthquakes in historical and recent times. The seismic activities with magnitudes ranging from 1.4 to 6.5 have been observed and recorded in the region. This includes the December 22, 1983, Mw=6.3, Guinea earthquake; 275 people were killed, more than 1000 were injured and 18,000 people were rendered homeless. The June 22, 1939 earthquake M=6.5 that occurred in Ghana where 17 lives were lost and many structures were destroyed. In recent times earthquakes of magnitudes ranging from 1.4 to 5.3 have been recorded in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Niger, Mali, Sierra Leone, Cameroon among others. Seismic data received from the International Data Centre is utilized in compiling earthquake catalogue for the region. The seismic events are mostly associated with the Romanche, Chain, St. Paul transform faults and the Cameroon volcanic line. The study is focused on the recent earthquake activities in the West African region and is designed to raise awareness on the rising seismic activities in the region and awaken relevant authorities, organizations/institutions, and the general public on the need for timely and sustainable proactive measures for mitigating the risks and disasters associated with earthquakes in the region.
Promotional text
Information on earthquake occurrence in the West African region collated from data from the International Data Centre (IDC) is discussed. It serves as input for earthquake hazard and risk assessment This would contribute to the public awareness creation campaign on earthquakes.
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| Oral preference format | in-person |
