Reading in my office this afternoon, I experienced my first earthquake. At first I thought it was a dizzy spell, but the ripples in my bottle of Neviot verified that the shaking sensation was not an inner ear-related issue. Measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale, the epicenter of the quake was near Tyre, Lebanon.
Israel is situated on the Dead Sea Rift, which is part of the Great Rift Valley-- also known as the Syrian-African rift. This is the largest fissure in the Earth's surface, spanning approximately 3500 miles from Syria to Mozambique. (Ironically, this week my Global History class studied African geography and the Great Rift Valley's role as a natural interior passageway for early migrating groups.)
Media reports have been speculating about a potential large-scale earthquake in Israel; the minor tremor today serves to assuage those fears a bit, as small expulsions of tectonic pressure reduce the probability of a significant build-up resulting in a destructive quake.
1 comment:
WOW! That is one thing that I have never experienced. (though it runs though my mind as I work on planning the wedding...what to do in the event of a major earthquake just before/during that week.) Glad to hear that you are OK.
Don
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