Sunday 6 July 2014

Magnitude 4.1 Earthquake off the coast of Lebanon.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.1 Earthquake at a depth of 14.8 km roughly 20 km off the coast of southern Lebanon, at about 0.40 am local time on Sunday 6 July 2014 (9.40 pm on Saturday 5 July, GMT). There are no reports of any damage or injuries associated with this quake, though it was felt across much of Lebanon.

The approximate location of the 6 July 2014 Lebanon Earthquake. Google Maps.

Lebanon lies on the boundary between the African and Arabian Plates, and is bisected by the Dead Sea Transform Margin (sometimes the Levant Transform Margin or Levant Transform Fault), with the east of the country located on the Arabian Plate, and the west on the African Plate. Both of these plates are moving northward, but the Arabian Plate is moving at a greater rate, driven by seafloor spreading beneath the Red Sea, creating a leading to transform movement on the plate margin in Lebanon, with the Arabian Plate moving northward relative to the African Plate. 

The relative movements of the African and Arabian Plates. School of Earth and Environment/University of Leeds.

Sea floor spreading is occurring at a faster rate beneath the southern Red Sea than the north, with the effect that the Arabian Plate is also rotating relative to the African Plate. This results in a slightly complex situation in Lebanon, with a network of faults underlying the region, all with the potential for movement, which can result in quakes anywhere in the country.

See also...


The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.7 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km in southeasten Fars Province...



The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.5 Earthquake at a depth of 10 km, about 8 km offshore of the city of...



The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.0 Earthquake at a depth of 31.4 km on the south coast of western...


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