On March 22^nd, a minor earthquake hit the Dead Sea area at 6:17 A.M. local time and registered 3 on Richter scale. Initial information indicated the earthquakes’ focus was relatively deep and its epicenter was about 40 km south of Hebron and 87 km south-west of Amman.

Earthquakes that register less than 5 on Richter scale are considered as weak or minor; therefore, they often do not pose any threat to buildings and constructions.

The Dead Sea area and northern Palestine (Southern Lebanon) has witnessed many minor earthquakes over the last few years, and based on the seismic map of the region, the Dead Sea area, the Jordan Valley, the Lebanese-Syrian borders (Northern Palestine), Bisan, and the Galilee are considered as active seismic regions that 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 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

The website also contains many articles, studies and awareness brochures related to earthquakes and the expected seismic behavior of buildings in Palestine.