Earthquake hits most parts of Uganda

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As darkness settled over Uganda on Sunday night, the earth briefly found its voice. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck the central part of the country, its tremors rippling across the west, east and northern corridor, awakening memories of nature's hidden power.

At 9:19pm, the ground beneath Nakasongola briefly awakened. International monitoring systems, among them the United States Geological Survey, estimated the earthquake at magnitude of 4.5, while GeoTech recorded 4.49.

Originating in Uganda's central seismic belt, the shallow quake sent its pulse across distant regions, a reminder that the forces shaping the landscape are never entirely at rest.

The quake was shallow, a factor that likely contributed to its wide perceptibility across multiple regions of the country.

Although moderate in magnitude, the earthquake's shallow depth helped carry its force across a vast stretch of the country. Shallow quakes are known to unleash stronger surface shaking, allowing their energy to travel farther and be felt by more people.

From the bustling streets of Kampala to the shores of Lake Victoria in Jinja and westward into the Albertine region, the tremors felt like an invisible wave beneath the land. For a few unsettling moments, communities separated by hundreds of kilometres shared the same experience as the earth briefly shifted beneath their feet.

Uganda sits astride the Albertine Rift, a dramatic branch of the East African Rift System where the African continent is slowly being reshaped as tectonic plates drift apart. Beneath the country's fertile landscapes and rolling hills lies a restless geological frontier, where immense forces continue to mould the land over millions of years.

This position along an active rift leaves Uganda vulnerable to recurring earthquakes, most commonly ranging between magnitudes of 4 and 6. From time to time, stronger tremors emerge along fault lines that extend into the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, reminding communities that the earth beneath them is constantly in motion

The most powerful earthquake associated with Uganda's seismic zone struck on May 20, 1990, when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake rocked the western rift valley near the Uganda–DR Congo border. 

More recently, on September 10, 2016, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake occurred southwest of Kampala, sending tremors across central and western Uganda.