Amman, July 21 (Petra) -- The Jordan Seismological Observatory (JSO), operating under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, recorded 454 seismic events during the first half of the current year, according to the observatory's semi-annual report released by the ministry.
The total count includes 49 local tremors, 235 regional earthquakes, and 170 distant seismic events. Magnitudes for local earthquakes ranged between 1.4 and 4.5 on the Richter scale, concentrated primarily along the Dead Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba, Wadi Araba, the Jordan Valley, Lake Tiberias, and adjacent border zones.
Regional events recorded magnitudes between 2.2 and 5.8, while distant quakes registered between 4.0 and 7.8. Seismic activity in the Kingdom remains predominantly aligned with the Jordan Rift Valley fault system.
Operational continuity is maintained through a national network of 23 primary seismic monitoring stations that process real-time data to determine the timing, location, magnitude, and depth of tremors.
The observatory provides continuous reports to the General Directorate of Civil Defense and the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management, particularly regarding felt earthquakes and aftershocks, while executing ongoing maintenance and expansion of its strong-motion station network.
During the reporting period, JSO conducted community outreach and educational sessions for school and university students, collaborated with Civil Defense teams on disaster response training and hazard assessment, and maintained technical coordination with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) alongside participation in international specialized workshops.
//Petra// AA
