JSO reports 419 seismic activities since January

AMMAN — The Jordanian Seismological Observatory (JSO) has recorded 419 seismic activities since the beginning of the year 2024, including 92 local tremors across the Kingdom and its neighbouring border regions.

A JSO report said that the observatory recorded 192 regional earthquakes, mostly concentrated in the Pacific and Indian oceans, while the number of distant earthquakes was 132, focused in Turkey, Greece and Iran, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The report, covering the first half of 2024, indicated that local earthquakes were concentrated in Wadi Araba with 13 earthquakes, the Jordan Valley with 39 earthquakes, and Karmel, Tiberias, and neighbouring border areas with 39 earthquakes.

Local tremors in the Dead Sea totalled 24 earthquakes, the Gulf of Aqaba and southern border regions 14 earthquakes, Sarhan with one earthquake, and Zarqa with one earthquake, the JSO pointed out.

The national seismic monitoring network in Jordan comprises two types of monitoring stations: a weak motion [telemetric] network with 23 stations covering the entire Jordanian territory, including 20 Jordanian stations, one affiliated with the German Research Centre for Geosciences, and another with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation, all integrated into the Jordanian network.

Also, 19 strong motion monitoring stations are distributed across major cities and dams to record ground acceleration essential for earthquake-resistant engineering designs. The observatory operates 24/7, receiving seismic data from all monitoring stations across the Kingdom.

The JSO, established in 1983 and located within the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Amman, monitors seismic activity in Jordan and neighbouring regions.

The observatory aims to assess earthquake risks and estimate potential damage from major earthquakes, ensuring preparedness and safety for the Kingdom.