Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — After a lull of about six weeks, Namas in the southwestern Asir province experienced a tremor on Saturday, the National Center for Earthquakes and Volcanoes has said.

The last of the seismic activity in Namas was recorded on Dec. 25, 2017.

The center said the area witnessed two tremors on Saturday, one at 6:59 a.m. with a magnitude of 2 on the Richter scale and the second at 7:48 a.m., which had magnitude of 1.8.

“These tremors were extremely mild and therefore were not felt by the residents,” said Tariq Aba Al-Khail, the center’s spokesman.

He said the tremors were located about 15 km to the north of Namas but were too weak and should not be a cause of worry to the residents.

Aba Al-Khail said the residents who felt the tremors could have been too close to the epicenter.

He said the time and place of earthquakes could not be predicted as they take place as a result of movement in the earth’s lithosphere.

The spokesman said though the earthquakes could not be predicted, a number of countries have established seismic centers to monitor earthquakes and establish databases of vulnerable fault lines. These centers carry out specialized studies that help mitigate the effects of the earthquakes and thus reduce the number of victims.

Aba Al-Khail said the Saudi Geological Survey Authority would continue its awareness drives against earthquakes in various parts of the Kingdom.

“We are enlightening people on how to behave in the event of an earthquake in order to reduce the damage,” he said.

The spokesman stressed the importance using the Saudi Building Code on all construction to protect lives and property in case of an earthquake happening.

He said the authority was monitoring seismic activities 24/7 and was liaising with the Civil Defense to evaluate the situation and undertake the necessary safety measures.