Galilee: Fifth Quake in a Week

By C. J. Refsland on October 22, 2013 • ( 0 )

(Israel National News) An earthquake measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale took place Tuesday in northern Israel, according to the Israel Geophysical Institute. It is the fifth quake in the Galilee in less than a week.

The quake was centered at a depth of two kilometers, beneath the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret).

Two quakes were felt in the same area on Sunday, near Tverya (Tiberias), raising fears that a significant geological event was in the offing. Sunday’s quakes followed one that occurred early Saturday morning, which was preceded by one last Thursday night.

The first quake on Sunday was reported at 11:50 AM, measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale. The epicenter of that quake was in the northern Kinneret, five kilometers north of Ginnosar. The second one, reported at 3:54 PM, also measured 3.6 on the Richter scale, and its epicenter was somewhat south of Ginnosar.

There were no injuries or damage in either quake, but both were felt distinctly in communities around the Kinneret.

On Saturday, an earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter in the Kinneret, was reported. That followed an earthquake that was felt throughout northern Israel last Thursday night. The epicenter of that quake was also in the Kinneret. It reached 3.5 on the Richter scale, and was felt in communities surrounding the lake.

Eight days ago, an earthquake was felt in southern and central Israel, measuring at 6.4 on the Richter scale, with its epicenter beneath the Mediterranean about 40 kilometers under the sea bed, 70 kilometers west of Crete. In Israel, reports of the tremor were received from citizens in central and southern Israel, including Raanana, Rehovot and Ashkelon. It was reportedly felt mostly on the top floors of tall buildings. No injuries or damage were reported in that quake either.

Scientists at the Israel Geophysical Institute said they were examining the quakes, searching for patterns and clues that could indicate if the sudden confluence of small earthquakes could indicate that something bigger was imminent. The Kinneret is smack in the middle of the Syria-Africa rift, which occasionally “acts up,” with a major earthquake. The last such a quake, measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, occurred in 1927. About 300 people were killed in that disaster.

Galilee: Fifth Quake in a Week – Inside Israel – News – Israel National News#.UmZsbFso7lY#.UmZsbFso7lY

Map of East Africa showing some of the historically active volcanoes (red triangles) and the Afar Triangle (shaded, center)—a triple junction where three plates are pulling away from one another: the Arabian Plate, and the two parts of the African Plate (the Nubian and the Somali) splitting along the East African Rift Zone (USGS).