Jordan Times
Sunday, January 4, 2004
Tremors within normal range of seismic activity — official
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN — Seismologists on Saturday said there were no reports of injuries or destruction caused by five small tremors that shook the Dead Sea area on Wednesday and Thursday.Officials said the first tremor occurred at around 1:30pm on Wednesday measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale, followed by four others, the strongest registering 3.8.
“The tremors were not felt by residents of the area and there were no reports of any damage to buildings,” Director General of the Natural Resources Authority Mohammad Gharaybeh said.
He told The Jordan Times that the tremors were so slight that only sensitive equipment could detect them.
“This is not the first time that such weak tremors occur in this area,” the official explained.
The last time a similar tremor registered was almost four years ago, he added.
Gharaybeh assured citizens that these minor quakes are normal and within the range.
“People need not worry about any reported tremor because it is within the normal range of seismic activity in the area that occurs frequently, but regularly,” he said.
The Dead Sea lies on the 1,100-kilometre-long Dead Sea Rift, which is a border between the divergent Arabian and African plates interaction, resulting in general seismic activities.