RIYADH – Eight tremors measuring not more than 3.7 on the Richter scale have occurred in the Kingdom in the past two months and five of them were in Umluj, a city in Tabuk province, said the Saudi Geological Survey in a report. "Saudi Arabia is a stable country in terms of seismic activities. However, some of its regions have witnessed tremors and volcanoes in the past," the report said, urging citizens and residents in quake-prone areas to be extra cautious and deal with tremor precautions published on the SGS website carefully. The SGS has set up more than 220 seismic observation centers across the Kingdom. Last Sunday, SGS observed a tremor measuring 3 on the Richter scale. Its epicenter was in the Red Sea, 160 km west of Shuqaiq in Jazan province. It had a depth of 11.9 km. Another tremor measuring 3.1 on the Richter scale occurred 170 km away off the Shuqaiq coast. Last April a tremor occurred northwest of Umluj, near Hambaq village, which measured 3.6 on the Richter scale. Tariq Abalkhail, spokesman for SGS, said these were minor tremors and caused no major damage. Saudi Arabia in the past witnessed several earthquakes and most of them were close to one another. However, the country never experienced an earthquake measuring more than 6 on the Richter scale. In 2011 alone about 9,000 tremors have taken place across the Kingdom, Al-Hayat Arabic daily reported. The strongest among them had an intensity of 4.4. In 2009, a 5.4 strong quake occurred north of Yanbu and caused minor damages, the paper added. Seismologists have described Hurra Al-Shaqa north of Yanbu as a field of basalt volcanic eruption. In 2007, SGS observed about 30,000 small quakes in the area. A powerful earthquake occurred in Haql, west of Tabuk, in 1995, killing two people and damaging several buildings in the region, the paper said. Its aftershocks continued for three months.
