1,200 tremors in Madinah over past few days

1,200 tremors in Madinah over past few days Yousuf Muhammad | Arab News

MADINAH: More than 1,200 tremors, most of which were very weak, have occurred in and around Madinah over the past several days, the National Center for Earthquakes and Volcanoes at the Saudi Geological Survey Authority said yesterday. According to the center, the tremors had magnitudes of between 0.78 and 3.7 on the Richter scale. Some residents, especially in the village of Al-Ais, felt tremors on Thursday and Friday. Hani bin Mahmoud Zahran, director of the center, said Bahrat Al-Shaqqah was the epicenter of the earthquakes, which began on April 18 and are still continuing. He said the strongest tremors measured 3.7 degrees on the Richter scale. He added that villagers in Hadmah, Al-Qarrasa, Al-Ameed, Al-Faraa and Al-Sahla felt six tremors. Zahran said the Civil Defense immediately dispatched specialized technicians to carry out thermostatic measurements at Bahrat Al-Shaqqah and install a monitoring station there. He said the authority was monitoring the situation around the clock and was currently collecting data to understand the nature of the tremors and if they were connected to volcanic activity.