A minor earthquake rattled Israel’s southern city of Eilat in the early hours this morning. Several inhabitants of the Red Sea resort reported that their homes were shaken, but no injuries or damage were caused
According to the Geological Survey of Israel (GSI), the quake’s epicenter was about 19 kilometers northeast of Eilat and on the Jordanian border with Saudi Arabia, and 20 meters underground.
While the GSI registered the magnitude at 3.8; the European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) said their seismological data indicates the 3.9 quake occurred at 4:30 in the morning local time, at a 10 kilometer depth at the geographic location of 29.57 N and 35.03 E. This represents a distance of 188 km SSE of Beersheba, Israel with a population of 186,000 and 5 km NNE of Aqaba, Jordan, where 95,000 people live.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) also registered the quake at 3.9.
It is interesting to note that so far today (as of the time this article was published), there have been 18 earthquakes worldwide at magnitudes higher than 3.0, the highest of which was a 5.1 located 116 km ENE of Hihifo in the Polynesian island Kingdom of Tonga.
So far this month, previous regional earthquakes near Israel include: an M2.5 in the East Mediterranean Sea on 9 December; an M2.1 in Cyprus and an M2.0 in Saudi Arabia on 8 December; two separate M5.4’s and another M2.1 rocked the EastMed, the largest of which were felt in northern and central Israel. In addition, there were an M2.2 in the Jordan Valley and an M2.2 in Palmira, Syria on 5 December; a 2.2 in Israel’s Negev Desert on 4 December; an M2.5 in Palmira, Syria on 2 December and an M2.3 in the same area on 1 December.