JOHANNESBURG - Professor Ray Durrheim says the earthquake that hit Gauteng is likely a result of the history of mining.
Residents were left shaken after the seismic activity in the early hours of Sunday morning.
READ: Gauteng Earthquake | Boksburg homes damaged, some residents searching for alternative accommodation
A 4.4-magnitude quake struck parts of the province at around 2:38, causing structural damage to some homes in areas around East Rand.
Durrheim said, ''the mine nearby, East Rand Proprietary Mine started mining in the 1890s, one of the deepest minds in the world, there are voids in the ground, nature wants to close those gaps, every now and again there are events like that, but this very unusual."