4.0-magnitude earthquake recorded in Saudi Arabia

Dubai: A minor earthquake was recorded in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province in the early hours of Wednesday, according to the Saudi Geological Survey, with authorities confirming that the tremor caused no damage or injuries.

The survey’s official spokesperson, Tareq Aba Al Khail, said seismic monitoring stations detected the earthquake at 1:11 a.m. local time, at latitude 24.1323 degrees north and longitude 49.1572 degrees east. The tremor measured 4.0 on the Richter scale and occurred at a depth of about eight kilometres, according to Okaz newspaper. 

Aba Al Khail said the relatively low magnitude of the earthquake meant it did not pose a threat to residents or infrastructure in the region.

He added that such seismic activity is linked to tectonic pressures generated by the collision between the Arabian and Eurasian plates in Iran’s Zagros Mountains.

Those pressures, he explained, can occasionally reactivate pre-existing geological faults beneath Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, resulting in minor tremors.

The earthquake came as the Eastern Province remained under a red weather alert issued by the National Center of Meteorology for a third consecutive day, due to unstable weather conditions. As a precaution, in-person classes across the region were suspended again on Wednesday.