The April 3, 2017 M_W 6.5, Moiyabana (Botswana) earthquake occurred in the continental interior of the Nubian plate and in a seismogenic region previously considered as stable. Our objective is to combine several approaches (field and remote sensing investigations) in order to adopt a multidisciplinary strategy so as to enhance our understanding of earthquake occurrence in intraplate southern Africa. We analyse the mainshock and aftershocks sequence based on a local seismic network and local seismotectonic characteristics. The earthquake rupture geometry is constrained with more than 900 aftershocks recorded over a period of three months and from the InSAR analysis of Sentinel-1 images (ascending orbit). The mainshock (25.134 E, 22.565 S; depth 22 ± 3 km) was followed by more than 500 events of magnitude M ≥ 0.8 recorded in April 2017 including the largest aftershock (M_W 4.6 on the April 5, 2017). Focal mechanism solutions of the mainshock and aftershocks display predominance of NW-SE trending and NE dipping normal faulting. Stress inversion of the focal mechanisms produced results that are compatible with a NE-SW extension under normal faulting regime. The InSAR study shows fringes (a pair of ascending images 2017-03-30 and 2017-04-11) with two lobes with 3.86 cm–5.15 cm coseismic slip on a NW-SE elongated and 40-km-long surface deformation consistent with the mainshock location and normal faulting mechanism. The modelling of surface deformation provides the earthquake rupture dimension at depth with ~50 cm maximum slip on a fault plane striking 315°, dipping 45°, −80° rake and with M_o 3.68 × 10¹⁸ Nm. Although the seismic strain rate is of low level, the occurrence of the 2017 Moiyabana earthquake, followed by an aftershock sequence in the central Limpopo Mobile Belt classifies the intraplate region as an active plate interior.

2017 年 4 月 3 日 M _W 6.5，Moiyabana（博茨瓦纳）地震发生在努比亚板块的大陆内部和以前被认为是稳定的发震区。我们的目标是结合多种方法（现场和遥感调查）以采用多学科策略，以增强我们对南部非洲板块内地震发生的理解。我们根据当地地震台网和当地地震构造特征分析了主震和余震序列。这地震破裂几何受到三个月内记录的 900 多次余震的限制，并且来自 Sentinel-1 图像（上升轨道）的 InSAR 分析。主震（25.134 E，22.565 S；深度 22 ± 3 公里）之后是 2017 年 4 月记录的超过 500 次 M ≥ 0.8 的事件，包括最大的余震（M _W4.6 于 2017 年 4 月 5 日）。主、余震震源机制解以NW-SE走向和NE倾角正断层为主。震源机制的应力反演产生的结果与正常断层情况下的 NE-SW 延伸相一致。InSAR 研究显示条纹（一对上升图像 2017-03-30 和 2017-04-11）具有两个波瓣，在 NW-SE 拉长和 40 公里长的表面变形上具有 3.86 cm–5.15 cm 同震滑移主震位置和正常的故障机制。地表变形建模提供了深度地震破裂尺寸，断层面上最大滑移约 50 厘米，倾角 315°，倾角 45°，-80° 前倾，M _o 3.68 × 10 ¹⁸牛米。尽管地震应变率较低，但 2017 年 Moiyabana 地震的发生以及随后在林波波移动带中部发生的余震序列将板内区域归类为活动板块内部。