June 21, 2012 – OMAN - Two back-to-back earthquakes were recorded closer to Oman by the Earthquake Monitoring Centre at Sultan Qaboos University in the last 24 hours but there were no reports of damage to property or loss of life. While an earthquake measuring 4.8-magnitude was reported in the Arabian Gulf around midnight, the other was reported from southern Iran with 4.2-magnitude on Tuesday evening. Speaking to Times of Oman, Dr. Issa Al Hussain, director, Earthquake Monitoring Centre, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), said that they record around 150 earthquakes from all over the globe every month. “Locally we record around four to five quakes every month but most of them are weak and its epicenter is far away from Oman,” he said. But given Oman’s close vicinity to where the Arabian plates meet the Eurasian plates, how much risk does it pose to the Sultanate? Dr. Hussain said places like Khasab and Musandam in northern Oman have earthquake potential as the Arabian plates meet the Eurasian plates. “But we have to remember that Oman lies in the low risk zone so there is little chance of earthquake.” –Times of Oman
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