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Israelis shaken by minor earthquakes

A quake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale struck Israel from the northern Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), about 6 miles northeast of Tiberias.

Sea of Galilee in Tiberias Credit: Andreas Fjellmann via Wikimedia Commons.
Sea of Galilee in Tiberias Credit: Andreas Fjellmann via Wikimedia Commons.

Some residents of northern Israel were jostled awake early on Wednesday by an earthquake.

The tectonic shift on July 4th measured 4.1 on the Richter scale, according to the Geophysical Institute of Israel, and occurred at 4:58 a.m, with aftershocks at 6:41 a.m. and 6:52 a.m. that measured 2.1 and 3.8, respectively.  An additional earthquake measuring 3.2 occurred overnight in the early hours of July 5th.

The epicenter of the quake was measured in the northern Kinneret (see of Galilee), a little more than 6 miles northeast of Tiberias. It is believed to have taken place more than 2 miles underground.

No injuries or damage was reported, but residents of Tiberias described their surprise and fear at feeling their homes shake for about 15 seconds.

Residents of Kfar Saba, Ra’anana, Hod HaSharon and the Jordan Valley also reported feeling the quake.

Israel sits along the Syrian-African fault line that runs along the border between Jordan and Israel. In 1927, a major earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale rocked parts of Israel, including Jerusalem, claiming 500 lives.

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