4.3-magnitude earthquake strikes Saudi Arabia
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province early Wednesday, December 17, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM).
The tremor occurred at 2:11 a.m. local time at a depth of 50 km, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The National Seismic Network of the NCM confirmed that the quake had no impact on the UAE and was not felt by residents in the Emirates.
The last significant quake near the Gulf region occurred in April, when both Saudi Arabia and the UAE detected a 4.3-magnitude earthquake in the Arabian Sea near the Kingdom’s borders. That tremor was linked to stresses on old faults in the Arabian Gulf, caused by movement of the Arabian Plate and its collision with the Eurasian Plate.
Earthquakes are relatively common in neighboring countries such as Iran, Iraq, and Oman, and tremors are sometimes felt in the UAE. On November 4, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck southern Musandam, with tremors felt in the Emirates. Earlier, on December 1, a magnitude 3.3 earthquake hit Bahrain in the early hours, causing no impact in the UAE.
An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 also struck Iraq on November 22, occurring at depth of 30km, with no impact on the Emirates.
Back in August, an earthquake of magnitude 2.2 struck Oman's Madha region. Madha is a small Omani exclave within the UAE. It's located about halfway between the Musandam Peninsula and the rest of Oman, nestled within Fujairah. Despite being geographically isolated within the UAE, Madha is considered part of Oman and is governed from the Musandam Governorate.
Even though the UAE is not located in a major earthquake zone, it occasionally experiences minor tremors. It is because it is located near the Zagros mountain range — one of the most active seismic regions in the world.
On August 22, a quake of magnitude 3.3 hit the Safad area in Fujairah.
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