Magnitude 4.3 earthquake hits Saudi Arabia; was it felt in UAE?

An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 hit a province of Saudi Arabia during the early morning hours of Wednesday, December 17, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) reported.

The quake struck the Kingdom's Eastern Province at 2.11am local time, occurring at a depth of 50km.

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The National Seismic Network of the NCM clarified it had no impact in the UAE and was not felt by residents across the Emirates.

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The last time a quake hit close to the Gulf country was in April this year, when both UAE and Saudi detected a 4.3-magnitude earthquake in the Arabian Sea, close to the Kingdom's borders.

The cause of that earthquake was attributed to the stresses on the old faults in the Arabian Gulf region, caused by the movement of the Arabian Plate and its collision with the Eurasian Plate.

With neighbouring countries like Iran, Iraq and Oman experiencing earthquakes often, tremors are sometimes felt in the UAE. On November 4, a quake of magnitude 4.6 struck the south of Musandam, with tremors felt in the Emirates.

Meanwhile, on December 1, an earthquake of magnitude 3.3 struck Bahrain in the early hours, with no impact felt in the UAE.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 also struck Iraq on November 22, occurring at depth of 30km, with no impact on the Emirates.

Back in August, an earthquake of magnitude 2.2 struck Oman's Madha region. Madha is a small Omani exclave within the UAE. It's located about halfway between the Musandam Peninsula and the rest of Oman, nestled within Fujairah. Despite being geographically isolated within the UAE, Madha is considered part of Oman and is governed from the Musandam Governorate. 

Even though the UAE is not located in a major earthquake zone, it occasionally experiences minor tremors. It is because it is located near the Zagros mountain range — one of the most active seismic regions in the world.

On August 22, a quake of magnitude 3.3 hit the Safad area in Fujairah.

In a previous interview with Khaleej Times, a seismologist at the NCM explained that the Zagros range, which stretches through Iran and Iraq, frequently records seismic activity, sometimes producing powerful earthquakes.

“These events, though often centred hundreds of kilometres away, can produce tremors that may be felt in parts of the UAE, especially in the Northern Emirates,” Mohamed Alhassani, acting head of Seismic Monitoring Section at the NCM, told Khaleej Times during an exclusive interview.

• Saudi Arabia

Laraib Anwer

laraib@khaleejtimes.com

Laraib Anwer is a Digital Journalist who loves the thrill of breaking headlines almost as much as she does unapologetically using GenZ slang. She dreams of a world free of animal cruelty and hopes to tell community stories that make a difference.