The epicenter was at a depth of about 16 kilometers below the bottom of the Dead Sea
Israel was hit by an earthquake with a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale. Around 10:15, tremors were felt in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Hasharon and other areas. The Voice of Israel reported that the center of the noise was in the north of the Dead Sea. Infrastructure Minister Yossi Pritsky said in a conversation with the "All Talk" program that no reports of damage to the electricity and water infrastructures had been received. It's a very loud noise.
And Pritsky adds to YNET: "Now a folklore of know-it-alls will begin, what was and was not. I suggest ignoring. If this is the earthquake we were afraid of, and that is what happened - we will sue. Luckily it happened in the morning and not at night, because due to the cuts in the institute's budget, the drive was fired. Imagine what would happen if it happened at night."
Personal report - at the time of the noise, I was in the elevator to the People and Computers offices on the 24th floor of Beit Hord Towers in Givatayim, and the shaking was mixed with the speedy movements of the elevator, while traveling one of the passengers received a phone call with a message about the shaking. My co-workers gathered in the entrance to the floor, with the assumption that in this area, the concrete may protect against possible damage (although not from the collapse of the building). However, except for this brief panic, no damage occurred, and it is also not possible to feel any damage in the Tel Aviv area, at least from the high observation point where I am.
Short updates:
A building under construction on Hativat Golani Street in Acre collapsed following the earthquake. No one was hurt. Many students returned to their homes.
The earthquake caused minor cracks in the Knesset tabernacle. The YNET website reports that the Knesset's Interior Committee will convene for an emergency discussion on the earthquake issue. The chairman of the committee, MK Yori Stern: "We have been warned countless times that the country is not prepared." This time too, despite the repeated warnings, it seems that the country was caught "with its pants down".
The noise was also well felt in Israel's neighboring countries: Jordan, Lebanon and other countries. In December last year, an earthquake was felt in the Dead Sea, with no casualties. Several years ago, the earth shook in Eilat, where a lot of damage was caused to hotels in the city.
A short guide to earthquakes in Israel
By: Walla system!
A slight earthquake occurred in the Dead Sea just a month ago. A strong earthquake is expected to occur every 50 to 100 years. A steering committee checked and found: Israel is not ready
Israel is under the threat of earthquakes, which may cause casualties on a scale similar to the earthquakes that have occurred in recent years in Turkey, northern India and Iran. The proximity of the population centers in the State of Israel to the epicenter of the earthquakes - the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea - is the reason for this.
The damage to property could be even greater, because all the industrial areas and infrastructure facilities in Israel are close to earthquake epicenters. According to the statistics of earthquake experts, every 50 to 100 years a high-intensity earthquake occurs in the Jordan Valley. The last earthquake was in 1995. Since its epicenter was in Nueva, no heavy damage was caused, but it was felt along the coastal cities of Israel.
About a month ago, on December 31, a mild earthquake with a magnitude of 3.7 on the Richter scale occurred in the Dead Sea region. The noise, which was felt at the time in Kibbutz Ein Gedi, did not cause any damage. An earthquake with a magnitude of 3 on the Richter scale is the lowest that humans can feel. A noise with an intensity of 4 on the Richter scale can cause minor damage.
The Home Front Command website states that on November 22, 1995, the strongest earthquake occurred, with a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale (7.1 according to a new magnitude scale) in the Gulf of Eilat, about 100 km south of the city of Eilat. The last deadly earthquake that happened in our region occurred on July 11, 1927. 300 people were killed and over a thousand buildings collapsed in Jericho, Nablus, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Tiberias, Lod and Ramla. The epicenter was in the north of the Dead Sea and its intensity was 6.2 on the Richter scale.
It is further explained that after the initial earthquake, additional secondary earthquakes, less in intensity, are expected. Citizens are advised to stand under a railing or a heavy piece of furniture, or go outside, if it takes a short time. The dimensions are also considered a safe place to stay during an earthquake.
The auditor's report: no structure was strengthened
"Haaretz" reporter Rinat Zafir adds:
Advertisement Following the earthquake that happened in Turkey five years ago, the government established an inter-ministerial steering committee to prepare for dealing with earthquakes. The committee published a report with an attribution scenario stating that in the event of an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter scale, whose epicenter would be in the Jordan Valley region, there would be 10,000-5,000 deaths and up to 20 seriously injured. 220-130 thousand people will be evacuated from their homes and 8,000-3,700 houses will be completely destroyed. The analysis of the scenario was based, in part, on earthquakes that happened in the last century and in the 19th century, during which serious damage was caused to cities in the region.
The steering committee revealed many problems, including the poor durability of buildings and the unpreparedness of the rescue agencies to deal with such a large amount of casualties. She began formulating a series of recommendations for preparing for earthquakes - including a comprehensive plan for strengthening buildings and preparing an emergency system.
However, according to the State Comptroller's report published two years ago, not a single building was strengthened and the necessary actions were not taken to strengthen industrial buildings that contain large amounts of hazardous materials. In the event of an earthquake, these factories may cause the most significant injuries to the residents.
Geological explanation
The Earth's crust is not uniform, it is thick under the continents and thin under the oceans. However, the two types of crust are in equilibrium in terms of their densities, and this is because the marine crust is denser (3.2 gscm) than the terrestrial (2.7 gscm). The crust is thin and under it is a soft and dense layer (3.3 jcm100) whose depth reaches about 3.4 km - the roof of the mantle. Below this layer is another soft layer whose density is about XNUMX jscm). This layer is called the asthenosphere, and the set of layers above it - the lithosphere. Plate movement occurs at the base of the lithosphere.
The forces that drive the plates are divided into two types - thrusting force, which originates from the rising trend from the mantle into the lithosphere at the mid-oceanic ridge. The pushing force lifts the lithosphere and splits it. As a result, an elongated ridge is first formed, which then splits and a hernia develops at its peak. Over time, volcanoes develop in the rift and its edges. And an attractive force, which originates from a marine lithospheric plate that has cooled and penetrates under the continental plate, changes its mineralogical composition and lands in the asthenosphere. During the landing, the plate also pulls the part of it that is on the seabed, significantly increasing the rate of spreading of the seabed.
The Earth is made up of tectonic plates, which can include both oceans and continents. The plates move over time, changing their position and shape, at a rate of a few centimeters a year.
The earthquake - the biggest in the last 25 years; With them: not a bad exercise
By Tzafir Rinat and Anat Georgi, Haaretz, 12/2
Yesterday at 10:14 in the morning, the earthquake occurred for a few seconds, focused in the northeast of the Dead Sea. The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 5 on the "Richter scale", caused a strong oscillation of buildings in large areas of Israel, from the Negev to the Galilee. Yesterday's earthquake is the strongest in the Dead Sea region in the last 25 years.
As soon as the earthquake started, the alarm bell went off at the Geophysical Institute in Shelod, which is responsible for monitoring earthquakes, and strong vibrations were recorded at about 30 monitoring stations spread throughout the country. The Home Front Command personnel arrived at the Geophysical Institute to receive reports and examine the use of rescue teams, and the Minister of Infrastructure, Yosef Pritsky. After a short time, and no reports were received about the collapse of buildings or other damages, the alert level was lowered. No aftershocks were recorded in the hours after the earthquake.
The examination of the data shows that the epicenter was at a depth of about 16 kilometers below the bottom of the Dead Sea, which is part of the Syrian-African rift. In this area there is
Constant seismic activity that manifests itself in small earthquakes in different locations.
Last year, a number of earthquakes with a magnitude of 3-2 on the Richter scale were measured in the Dead Sea region. In 1979 and 1956 there were earthquakes in the area with a magnitude of 5.3-5, and in 1927 there was a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3, whose epicenter was near Ein Gedi. In this earthquake, many buildings were destroyed and 400 people were killed. In November 1995 there was a magnitude 7 earthquake whose epicenter was in Nueva in Sinai.
Pritsky said that in recent years there has been progress in the preparation of binding standards for the resistance of buildings to earthquakes, and in his estimation some of the infrastructure bodies are ready to deal with faults caused by an earthquake. "This earthquake should be seen as a kind of time-out given to us and during which we must organize and improve our preparations," said Pritsky, adding that he intends to work on the publication of a leaflet from the Earthquake Information Headquarters, which explains how to behave in an earthquake. The leaflet was shelved by the Prime Minister's office on the grounds that its publication would create panic in the public.
Yesterday's earthquake once again raised the question of the resistance of buildings in Israel to earthquakes and the question of the readiness of the emergency and rescue systems. Today in Israel there is no activity of strengthening old buildings - the main risk factor during earthquakes. In addition, there is a lack of clarity on the question of who is responsible for coordinating the treatment of victims as a result of an earthquake, and the damage that may be caused to the infrastructure.
The Minister of Construction and Housing, Efi Itam, said yesterday that he is considering centralizing the entire command structure in the event of earthquakes under one appointed entity - the Home Front Command. Itam, who heads the ministerial committee for preparing for earthquakes, convened the steering committee of the ministerial committee yesterday afternoon to investigate the earthquake. With them he said at the yeshiva that in the coming weeks the resistance of security facilities and infrastructure to an earthquake will be tested, in accordance with the existing engineering, and the evacuation of old buildings that do not meet the standards will be expedited.
"The earthquake that happened yesterday", he said with them, "was a good exercise for the various systems and you can learn from it". He added that the damages were minor and mainly consisted of cracks in the buildings. With them he added: "If a stronger earthquake had occurred, the results could have been different."
With them, he ordered the members of the steering committee to conduct an accurate mapping of sensitive facilities, which could intensify the damage in the event of an earthquake. "There are facilities that pose a danger during noise, such as energy facilities and security facilities. That's why we have to conduct a careful inspection, and determine which sites are able to withstand earthquakes", he said with them, "we will take care of the physical side and the enforcement of new construction standards".
With them he added that there are hundreds of thousands of buildings built since the XNUMXs, which will be strengthened or destroyed. According to him, the Ministry of Housing promotes projects to demolish existing buildings and build new buildings in their place.
Earth scientist - natural phenomena
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