Seismograph. Apparently just a minor quake (illustration)
Photo: Danny Solomon
Light earthquake felt in north
Residents of Galilee region report quake at 1:25 am. Geophysical Institute says measured 3.1 on Richter scale, epicenter near Kibbutz Yiron
Residents in the north reported Monday on an earthquake in the Galilee region. The Geophysical Institute confirmed the reports and later said it had measured 3.1 on the Richter scale.
The person on call at the Institute noted that after the reports were received, she called the team which measures the strength of the quake and locates its epicenter. Dr. Rami Hofstetter, head of the Geophysical Institute''s Seismological Division, said the epicenter was around Kibbutz Yiron in the Upper Galilee.
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No injuries or damage have yet been reported. "I don't know of any damage," a resident told to Ynet. "The cupboards shook and my dog was startled and barked a little. It was about 1:25 am. It's not the first time it's happened. The epicenter is probably somewhere north of Israel."
The same resident suspects the earthquake damaged the electricity network in south Lebanon. "Usually, when I look towards the villages there, there are many more lights at this hour," he said. "Apart from a few points of light, which were probably from generators, everything was dark."
However, Arab news sources reported problems with the electricity supply in Lebanon due to the heat wave.
Last March there was an earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale just north of the Sea of Galilee, and the Geophysical Institute explained this was not an unusual occurrence.
"A light earthquake has been felt," the Institute reported in March. "We received a number of telephone calls about an earthquake felt in towns around the Sea of Galilee."
On February 15, 2008, a moderately strong earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale was felt around the country, as well as in Lebanon and Syria. No injuries were reported. This was the strongest quake felt in Israel for some years, and was preceded just a few days before by a quake measuring 4 on the Richter scale. Since then there have been a number of small quakes.
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