Tremors rattle Egypt - Egypt - Al-Ahram Weekly

Al-Ahram Weekly

2 days ago

Egypt recently suffered two successive tremors. Reem Leila tries to find out if the country is becoming an earthquake zone.
In the past couple of weeks, Egypt experienced two earthquakes. The first, of a magnitude 6.4 on the Richter scale, took place on 14 May. Eight days later, residents woke up to a 6.2 earthquake. They were felt by wide segments of the population across various governorates — from Greater Cairo and the Delta to the northern coast.
Although the epicentres of both quakes were located south of the Greek island of Crete, hundreds of kilometres away from Egyptian territory, their strength, exceeding six according to the Richter scale, was enough to concern Egyptians.
Citizens reacted strongly. Social media was filled with testimonies and questions about the nature and causes of the earthquakes, and an increased search for information regarding safety.
According to the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), Egypt is not located within major seismic belts and earthquakes occurring deep in the Mediterranean Sea do not pose a direct threat to the country.
According to Sherif Al-Hadi, head of the Earthquake Department at the NRIAG, Egypt is not sitting on any seismic belts and is not threatened by earthquakes. 'The term seismic belt means that we would be constantly alert day and night due to consecutive earthquakes,' Al-Hadi said, explaining that what is currently happening is that Egypt is affected by several seismic belts outside its borders. Among these seismic belts are those passing through the Mediterranean Sea south of the islands of Cyprus and Crete. One of those is a low-activity seismic belt 390 km away from Cairo. The other is more than 700 km away from Cairo and has almost no effect on Upper Egypt.
Al-Hadi confirmed that Egypt 'is at a safe distance, and what is happening is only the sensation of tremors, especially on the upper floors, without any damage to infrastructure or any losses of lives or property.'
Abbas Sharaki, a Cairo University geology professor, told Al-Ahram Weekly that most of the earthquakes felt in Egypt originate from the Mediterranean Sea, particularly from the regions near Greece and Turkey.
Sharaki said that some of the zones prone to feeling earthquakes include the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the area extending from the Dead Sea up to Turkey.
Greece is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, he added. However, he added that although thousands of earthquakes are recorded there each year, severe damage or fatalities are rare. He described the region as a very active and systematic seismic zone that has experienced stronger earthquakes in the past, but none have seriously impacted Egypt. Sharaki also noted that the NRIAG is closely monitoring the aftershocks, which so far have been mild.
Over the long-term there are expectations of an earthquake occurring in the seismic belt area with a magnitude 6.5. Such events, according to Al-Hadi, happen from time to time but unlike weather, earthquakes cannot be predicted because the nature of the earth is completely different from the nature of the weather. 'What we do is estimate the likelihood of earthquakes based on seismic zones, which may become dormant at times and active at others,' he said.
Al-Hadi advised the public, when feeling any tremors, to avoid elevators and use the stairs, and to remain calm, as panic can lead to chaos and stampedes, which in turn cause injuries.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 29 May, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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