“There are no indications of strong earthquakes in the region, which is geologically strong and stable,” said  Zuhair Al-Nawab, president of the Saudi Geological Survey Authority.

He said the National Center for Earthquakes and Volcanoes (NCEV) is equipped with the most advanced tools to provide data about what is going on under the layers of the earth.

“The signs monitored by the center confirm the situation in the Eastern Province is very stable. No indications of dangerous tremors were registered,” Al-Nawab said.

“There is no cause for worry since the current situation is stable,” he added.

Al-Nawab said in case of any signs indicating otherwise, the concerned authorities will immediately be informed to take the necessary precautionary measures.

Ali Adnan Ishqi, professor of environmental sciences at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, said the possibility of earthquakes in the Eastern Province due to excavations and oil drilling was ruled out.

He, however, pointed out that land collapses might happen particularly in the eastern cities, Madinah and Qassim regions.

Ishqi noted the Eastern Province was geologically stable and is away from the centers of strong earthquakes in Iran and Pakistan.

He warned that the region was not safe from little tremors that might come from Iran after strong earthquakes there.

He also pointed out that if there were any earthquakes they would not be fatal as they would not be deep, far-reaching or strong.

Ishqi, however, asked people to be cautious when they construct high buildings in region.

Dammam and Alkhobar cities and nearby areas in the Eastern Province experienced tremors measuring 4 on the Richter scale last month.

A Riyadh-based scientist had suggested that massive extraction of petroleum was a likely cause of earthquakes.

“The Eastern Province is not an earthquake-prone zone by nature. The impact of large scale extraction of petroleum on the Earth’s plates could be the cause for these tremors,” said Abdullah Al-Amri, supervisor of tectonic studies at King Saud University.