MADINAH/JEDDAH, 29 June — A earthquake measuring 3.52 on the Richter scale shook the Al-Hait region between Madinah and Hail on Thursday morning, the observation center under the control of the Saudi Geological Survey Authority told Arab News.
Abdullah Ahmad Shuwail, director of Saudi Seismological Studies and Research Center at the authority, said he could not rule out the possibility of other quakes in the same region within the next few days. "The quake would have been very dangerous and damaging if it had occurred in a residential area," he added.
The tremor was felt north of Al-Hait, about 200 kilometers northeast of Madinah, at 6.37 a.m. However, people of the region, mostly bedouins, did not report any casualties or damage.
Shuwail said that the quake was not linked to the devastating tremor that hit Iran last Saturday killing more than 500 people.
"The Iranian quake was caused by friction between different layers of earth, but the one in Madinah was the result of volcanic activity," he explained.
"Civil Defense officers reported that the people of the region felt the quake and heard strange sounds. They also observed unusual behavior among the herds of cattle both before and after the tremor," Shuwail said.
Saleh Al-Mahwes, director of Civil Defense in the Madinah region, said that his department had not received any reports of damage.
According to Shuwail, six quakes of varying intensity have hit the region during the past three years, but none of them were dangerous.
"The southern Madinah region recorded about 100 quakes in 1999," Shuwail pointed out.
Al-Hait is surrounded by villages that have a total population of 20,000.
Shuwail disclosed the authority’s plan to establish a comprehensive seismological observation network covering all regions of the Kingdom in the near future.
Volcanic activity here was first recorded in 1978 by American and French missions in association with experts from King Saud and King Abdul Aziz universities.
