JEDDAH: The Saudi Geological Survey said that it monitored an earthquake on Wednesday in an area southwest of Al-Baha. National network stations at the Geological Hazards Center detected the Magnitude 3.6 tremor at 9:34 a.m.
SGS spokesman Tariq Aba Al-Khail said a team of specialists was sent to the site to inspect the area and check the data to determine what caused the quake.
He said that earthquakes are a natural occurrence that occur in many places without warning and with varying degrees of magnitude. Wednesday’s tremor was a natural earthquake, he added.
The SGS confirmed that the cause of the tremor was tensile forces in the central Red Sea region, which result in tectonic stresses that can be transmitted to the Earth’s crust in the areas adjacent to the Red Sea, including Al-Baha region and others parts of the Kingdom. This causes faults in the crust to react, causing an earthquake.
It said that it is normal for this to happen and for the residents of an area to feel them. However, Wednesday’s tremor was mild and there were no reports of serious damage or casualties, it added.
