Minor earthquakes rattle northern Israel

Temblor registering 4.1 on Richter scale centered in Sea of Galilee, followed by smaller tremors; no damage reported

View of the Sea of Galilee, northern Israel, April 19, 2017. (Isaac Harari/Flash90)
View of the Sea of Galilee, northern Israel, April 19, 2017. (Isaac Harari/Flash90)

A minor earthquake rattled the Haifa region and northern Israel early Wednesday morning, followed by several smaller tremors, authorities said.

The temblor registered a 4.1 on the Richter scale and was centered four kilometers deep in the northern Sea of Galilee, the Israeli Geophysical Institute said.

It struck at around 4:50 a.m., according to the institute.

There were no reports of injuries or damage.

[mappress mapid=”6410″]

Israel sits on the geologically active Syrian-African rift, which runs through the Jordan Valley, and the region occasionally experiences small quakes. Experts say the area experiences a major quake every 100 years or so.

The last major quake struck on July 11, 1927, killing over 400 and leaving “not a house in Jerusalem or Hebron… without some damage,” the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported in the days following.

In 2016, experts warned a Knesset committee that the country is not prepared for the thousands of deaths and hundreds of billions of shekels in damage that could occur in the event of a major earthquake in the region.

Most Popular
read more:
If you’d like to comment, join
The Times of Israel Community.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.