An earthquake of magnitude 2.9 hit the South of Musandam on Sunday, December 28, as per recordings by the National Centre of Meteorology's (NCM) National Seismic Network.
The quake was recorded at 4.44am UAE time and hit at a depth of 5km/hr.
The earthquake was slightly felt by residents in the UAE but had no impact in the country, the NCM revealed.
Musandam lies to the south of the Strait of Hormuz and is mainly governed by Oman as the Musandam Governorate, with certain parts governed by the UAE, including Ras Al Khaimah and parts of Dibba.
With neighbouring countries like Iran, Iraq and Oman experiencing earthquakes often, tremors are sometimes felt in the UAE. On November 4, a quake of magnitude 4.6 struck the south of Musandam, with tremors felt in the Emirates.
On December 17, an earthquake of magnitude 4.3 hit a province of Saudi Arabia during the early morning hours but had no impact in the Emirates.
Meanwhile, on December 1, an earthquake of magnitude 3.3 struck Bahrain in the early hours, with no impact felt in the UAE.
An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 also struck Iraq on November 22, occurring at depth of 30km, with no impact on the Emirates.
Back in August, an earthquake of magnitude 2.2 struck Oman's Madha region. Madha is a small Omani exclave within the UAE. It's located about halfway between the Musandam Peninsula and the rest of Oman, nestled within Fujairah. Despite being geographically isolated within the UAE, Madha is considered part of Oman and is governed from the Musandam Governorate.
Even though the UAE is not located in a major earthquake zone, it occasionally experiences minor tremors. It is because it is located near the Zagros mountain range — one of the most active seismic regions in the world.
On August 22, a quake of magnitude 3.3 hit the Safad area in Fujairah.
In a previous interview with Khaleej Times, a seismologist at the NCM explained that the Zagros range, which stretches through Iran and Iraq, frequently records seismic activity, sometimes producing powerful earthquakes.
“These events, though often centred hundreds of kilometres away, can produce tremors that may be felt in parts of the UAE, especially in the Northern Emirates,” Mohamed Alhassani, acting head of Seismic Monitoring Section at the NCM, told Khaleej Times during an exclusive interview.
culled from Khaleej Times
