Okaz/Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — The seismic conditions in the region are not worrisome, the Saudi Geological Survey Authority has said following an earthquake, with an intensity of 3 on the Richter scale, was recorded in the Red Sea off the shores of Jeddah on Tuesday.
The authority asked the residents not to panic and said the tremor took place about 91 km to the west of Jeddah at a depth of 20.8 km in the middle of the Red Sea.
Talal Ali Mokhtar, a geologist said the earthquakes that take place in the middle of the Red Sea had no or extremely little impact on the coastal cities, especially Jeddah.
“We have never heard of any building collapse in downtown Jeddah as a result of earthquakes though some of these buildings are very old and built during the Rashidun period before the time of Caliph Othman Bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him),” he said.
“The historic buildings in Jeddah are not concrete structures and are highly vulnerable. They will crack and collapse if the earth shakes,” he added.
Mokhtar said the Kingdom is characterized by extremely low seismic activity compared to countries such as Iran, Yemen and Turkey.
Tariq Aba Al-Khail, spokesman for the Geological Survey, asked citizens and expatriates in Jeddah never to worry or be annoyed by minor tremors, which are quite normal.
“This is not the first time tremors happen off Jeddah shores and this may not be the last. Nobody has felt the tremor because it was too weak and feeble,” he said.
Aba Al-Khail said the impact of the earthquakes on the coastal cities is almost non-existent because they become too weak on reaching the shores.
He said the earthquakes between 6 and 6.9 degrees on the Richter scale are considered strong while with an intensity of 7-7,9 degrees can be devastating and 8 degrees or above can be catastrophic.
He said the center of the Red Sea is quake-active but when they reach the coastal cities, they become too weak to be be felt by the residents.
Hani Zahran, head of the authority’s national center to monitor earthquakes, said there are about 225 seismic stations that monitor and follow up earthquakes in the Kingdom around the clock.
