Minor earthquake again shakes Sea of Galilee
Israel’s Geophysical Institute says temblor measuring around 3 on the Richter scale was felt in northern Israel
A minor earthquake was felt in northern Israel Sunday afternoon, the latest in a week of several such tremors.
The temblor, measuring around 3 on the Richter scale, was felt in the area surrounding the Sea of Galilee, according to Israel’s Geophysical Institute.
There were no reports of damage or casualties.
The first quake took place early Wednesday morning in the northern Galilee area, measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale. It was felt in the Haifa region and northern Israel and was followed by several aftershocks.
Seismic temblors continued to rattle parts of northern Israel early Thursday morning with two minor earthquakes recorded overnight, making a total of four seisms in less than 24 hours.
An early morning quake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale had its epicenter several kilometers northwest of the Sea of Galilee on Saturday.
Israel is situated along the Syrian-African rift, a tear in the earth’s crust running the length of the border separating Israel and Jordan, and is part of the Great Rift Valley, which extends from northern Syria to Mozambique.
Northern Israel and areas around Jerusalem and the Dead Sea are at high risk of a quake measuring 5 to 5.9 on the Richter scale, according to the World Health Organization, with the central and southern coastal areas and the Negev Desert at medium risk of a quake in the 4 to 4.9 range.
Experts have warned a large earthquake could strike Israel in the near future, and the government has begun funding projects for public buildings to be bolstered against tremors.
The last major earthquake to hit the region was in 1927 — a 6.2-magnitude tremor that killed 500 people and injured another 700.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman announced Thursday that a new multi-year plan to protect Israel from earthquakes will be presented to the cabinet this month.
“Last year, we carried out the biggest earthquake exercise in years,” the minister said in a statement.
“We learned many lessons, one of which was the need for a multi-year home front defense plan, especially for the north. This month, we’ll present it to the cabinet and I’m sure we’ll get the green light and budget to get started.”
