Jordan Seismological Observatory reassures public as another quake hits Tiberias

AMMAN — An earthquake on Sunday struck Lake Tiberias at 9:41am, measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale at a depth of five kilometres — the latest of a series of earthquakes striking the region since the beginning of the month.

Jordan Seismological Observatory (JSO) Director Mahmoud Qaryouti told The Jordan Times that “we cannot predict any future earthquakes in such a seismic zone”.

Qaryouti noted that the earth shake was “barely felt”, noting that JSO did not receive any notices from citizens, but mainly recorded the tremor through their devices.

“There are several factors that contribute to the severity of the earthquake in addition to its magnitude including the geological location, the seismic route, and the distance from the quake’s centre,” the seismologist said in a phone interview, noting: “The situation is generally reassuring as long as the magnitude is less than four on the Richter scale.”

Jordan is located along the Syrian-African fault line, which makes the Kingdom prone to seismic activities in its various parts, especially in the south, he added.

Over the past 100 years, Jordan witnessed two strong earthquakes: the first was in 1927 in Jericho-Palestine, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, and the second was in 1995 in Aqaba, measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, the JSO director said in previous remarks.