Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — A minor earthquake shook Namas, a small town at the southwest of the Kingdom, on Monday morning but it did not cause any deaths, injuries or damage to property, Al-Hayat newspaper reported on Tuesday quoting sources at the Saudi Geological Survey Authority. The sources said the tremor had a magnitude of 3 on the Richter scale and its epicenter was 24 kilometers to the north of Namas city. Namas was hit by a series of minor earthquakes starting Nov. 3. Seismologists of the Saudi Geological Survey said the region witnessed about 80 light tremors since then. The strongest of them had a magnitude of 4 on the Richter scale. The Geological Survey, in a statement, reassured Saudi and expatriate residents of Namas that Monday's tremor did not cause any injuries or damage in the area. The authority said its seismologists were closely monitoring the situation and sending periodic reports to the concerned authorities. Hani Zahran, director of the authority's center to monitor earthquakes and volcanoes, has said the earthquakes usually begin with a major one, which is followed by a series of light tremors. The tremors gradually dwindle in number and strength to reach a magnitude of 1.7 on the Richter scale, which are too light to be felt by anyone, he said. Zahran said most of the recent tremors happened in the northwest of the town where three fault lines meet. He said the tremors were mostly caused by numerous seismic slips in the area, in addition to Halba dam, which was the epicenter of many of the earthquakes that hit the region. Zahran said tremors would be felt more strongly by people living in the areas close to the epicenters. The residents may also hear a boom similar to that of thunderbolts, he added.