A minor earthquake hit northern Palestine on Wednesday, March 7^th 2012 and registered 3.6 on Richter scale. Initial information about the earthquake indicated that its focus was shallow, only 5 km below the surface of the earth.

It is well known that earthquakes which register less than 5 on Richter scale are considered minor ones and do not inflect any damage to the constructional or non-constructional elements. Northern Palestine (Southern Lebanon) has been subject to several minor earthquakes over the last few years. Based on the seismic map, the border area between Lebanon and Syria (Northern Palestine), Bisan, the Dead Sea, the Jordan Valley, and the Galilee are considered active seismic regions and have experienced major earthquakes over the course of history.

Dr. Jalal Dabbeek, Director of the Urban Planning and Seismic Engineering Center at An-Najah, said that in order to reduce the risks of seismic disasters there is a need to consider disasters as a national priority that is established on a solid executable institutional platform according to clear regulations. This requires reducing the vulnerability of buildings and constructions in Palestine to earthquakes and build the institutions’ and individuals’ capacity to deal with such situations.

For more information about the earthquakes that the region has experienced please refer to the Earthquake Bulletin which is issued by the Seismic Engineering Unit at the University via the following link:

http://www.najah.edu/ar/page/4011