The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.7 Earthquake
at a depth of 12.7 km roughly 40 km off the coast of Syria at about 8.15 pm local time (about 6.15 pm GMT) on Friday 3 April 2020. There are no reports of any serious damage or injuries
from this quake, but it was felt in Syria and Cyprus.
The approximate location of the 3 April 2020 Syria Earthquake. USGS.
Coastal Syria 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.
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
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