JEDDAH — The official spokesperson for the Saudi Geological Survey (SCS) Tariq Aba Al-Khail confirmed that it is not possible to predict the occurrence of an earthquake for a specific time at a specific location, indicating that claims raised recently are just personal views that are not based on studies, follow-ups and monitoring, but rather mere predictions.

In a press release Saturday, Aba Al-Khail said that SGS’s Geologic Hazards Center continuously follows — around the clock — the seismic activity in the central Red Sea region along the groove rift, and that the seismic magnitude is from weak to medium, where there is a region of tectonic tension due to the divergence of the African tectonic plate from the Arabian tectonic plate, which is characterized by mostly weak to moderate seismic activity.

He added that the number of tremors that are registered in the Red Sea does not exceed dozens per week, and is considered imperceptible and does not constitute any danger, stressing that the SGS is the sole concerned authority entrusted with seismic monitoring in the Kingdom, calling for the need to take the correct information from the official authorities regarding earthquakes’ monitoring. — SPA