Two minor earthquakes were felt in northern Israel on Sunday afternoon within the span of 12 hours, the first being a 3.7 magnitude quake followed just several hours later by a 3.5 magnitude quake.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
According to media reports, the seismological event was felt in Haifa, the Jordan Valley, Tiberias, Beit Shean and Afula.
Experts who spoke with Israel Hayom on Sunday explained whether these tremors can be seen as a sign of a much larger earthquake to come.
Haifa University seismologist Dr. Avi Shapira, who is also a former chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee on Earthquake Preparedness, said the tremors as they occurred on Sunday were a rare yet not completely unfamiliar phenomenon.
"Two consecutive tremors in the same place are certainly a surprise and are relatively rare, although this doesn't mean it is something that isn't known in the world or in Israel. We've had quakes in the same place before, similar to what just happened. With that, it's clear this is a rare event and it needs to be thoroughly examined. Let me just say, thus far no studies have been done on the subject, such that it is no more concerning than the routine tremors we have in Israel."
According to Shapira, "Israel as a country needs to prepare better for earthquakes. I hope that when a stronger earthquake does happen, we will already be ready. In any case, such a quake will happen and at least as of now we know it will cause damage because there isn't enough readiness and protection in the Beit Shean area and its surroundings."
Q: Are two quakes in the same place a sign of an impending stronger quake?
"No, it's not an indicative sign and we cannot predict when a strong earthquake will occur in Israel. Regardless, what can be said is that there's a tremendous amount of energy underground in that area that failed to release initially, hence the subsequent quake."
Prof. Moshe Inbar of Haifa University, an expert on natural disasters, told Israel Hayom that "tremors of this magnitude are not rare and happen all the time in Israel. In the Dead Sea area, a magnitude 2-3 tremor on the Richter scale occurs every 24 hours, and sometimes in one 24-hour period several such tremors occur. Therefore, the fact that there were two magnitude-3.7 tremors in the north is not unusual. With that, I know that in the entire north of the country, in Beit Shean, Hatzor Haglilit, Tiberia, Kiryat Shmona and elsewhere, there hasn't been much progress in terms of Tama 38 (Israel's national outline plan for the seismic strengthening of existing buildings), and this is extremely grave. At the very least, all public building must be fortified, because a strong quake is expected in Israel and this situation is concerning."
Dr. Efraim Laor, the head of the National Research Institute for Disaster Reduction (AFRAN) at the Holon Institute of Technology, said, "There are places in the world where an accumulation of consecutive tremors… leads to a larger quake later on. To determine this, however, you need to do research and install formulas for complex systems. But there are indeed places where it's been proven that a series of small tremors is a precursor to a large quake. In Israel, no such study has ever been done and essentially we have no information at all on the characteristics of the behavior of consecutive tremors in Israel."
Laor added: "I must say that when the tremors occurred on [Sunday], I practiced a swift exit drill with my family, despite the fact that our building is very well fortified, even against strong quakes. Sadly, no one else on my street went outside and that's not good. Just as the coronavirus fell upon us and just as wars fall upon us, an earthquake will fall upon us. And we need to constantly train and not wait for the moment of truth, because by then no one will know what to do. There will be an earthquake in Israel and we need to wake up now before it's too late," warned Laor.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
