The Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) has ruled out the possibility of any volcanic or seismic activity in the Kingdom during the next two years, refuting predictions made by the US Geological Survey (USGS). Professor Ali Adnan Eshky of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah warned of possible volcanic eruptions in the Kingdom during the next two years, citing the USGS report. He said a volcano in Al-Eis would affect Madinah, Yanbu and surrounding areas. Read more
Citizens, pilgrims and visiting traders in Madinah all felt them. The new moon had announced the start of Jumada al-Akhira, the sixth month of the year 654 of the Muslim, or hijri, calendar - ad 1256 of the Gregorian calendar. Over the next four days, the tremors became more frequent and more intense. On the morning of the fifth day, a Friday, at least 18 shocks occurred, and as people prepared for midday congregational prayers at the Prophets Mosque, a strong earthquake rocked Madinah, spreading alarm throughout the city and in outlying villages. Read more
Western regions of Saudi Arabia may be at risk from an unusual type of earthquake caused by failed volcanic eruptions, according to a team of Saudi and US scientists. They analysed some of the thousands of mini-earthquakes that hit the region in spring 2009, after a volcano eruption failed but still forced magma through rock up to around two kilometres below the surfaces, causing earthquakes. Although most of the lava fields; areas where lava from a volcano flows; that caused Saudi Arabia's recent earthquakes are in uninhabited areas, the city of Medina is spreading into one such area, and other cities, such as Nairobi, Kenya, are close to similar regions. Read more