In Angola, seismic activity "has occurred with some frequency" but with a "relatively weak intensity".
According to the geologist Francisco Canhanga, from the department of geophysics of the Inamet, the provinces of Kwanza Sul, Benguela, Huambo, Namibe, Huila and Moxico have locations prone to earthquakes.
The last seismic record in the country occurred in the municipality of Nambuangongo, Bengo province, on September 10, with a magnitude of 3.3.
According to him, the regions of Quibala and Gabela, province of Kwanza Sul, and Ganda, province of Benguela, also recorded the occurrence of earthquakes this year.
Francisco Canhanga, who was speaking at the opening of a webinar on "The Importance of Seismic Monitoring in Risk Reduction," promoted by the Inamet, made it known that Angola has five stations for the control of seismic occurrence.
The five stations, four of which are being updated and replaced, are however "insufficient" to cover the country, and are installed in the provinces of Bengo, Lunda Norte, Bié, Moxico and Huila.
In order to respond and expand the local seismic network, Inamet, an agency of the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technology and Social Communication, plans to install three more stations in the provinces of Cabinda, Cuando-Cubango and Namibe.
"Because the existing ones are insufficient to better monitor seismic activity in Angola and to better respond to society in terms of risks," acknowledged geologist Francisco Cahanga.
The Inamet technician also advanced that the cause of earthquakes in Angola is more linked to tectonic issues (large-scale movements occurring in the Earth's lithosphere).
The webinar, which took place through the Zoom platform, was attended by several speakers from the areas of geophysics, geology, meteorology and civil protection and firefighters, including a representative from Cape Verde and one from the Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute (IPMA).
The participants converged on the need to urgently increase the number of stations for seismic control, with the IPMA representative proposing the installation of at least 25 stations in Angola.
On the occasion, the Angolan engineer, Filipe Zua, master in geophysics and professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the Agostinho Neto University, warned that the seismic intensity in Angola "seems to be higher.
"Before the intensity of earthquakes was a little lower, but now the intensity seems to be a little higher which is worrying for us because the magnitudes are increasing and we need to update our bibliography," he exhorted.
Domingos Nascimento, general director of Inamet, pointed out the relevance of the virtual conference, considering that the meeting aimed to "join synergies" with "national and international partners".
"Because by itself it was not possible for the Inamet to cover the seismic monitoring of the country," he concluded.
