Head of the Egyptian National Institute of Astronomical and Geophysical Research (NIAGR) Hatem Aouda attributed the country’s recent earthquake to the existence of several earthquake hot spots including Cairo.
“Egypt experience several earthquakes but they are unfelt because they are minor and range from 1 to four magnitude,” said Ouda adding that such minor earthquakes are not predictable all over the world.
He added that there are over 72 seismic stations all over the country, he said, adding that Aswan, Dahshour and Suez Gulf are areas with epicenters.
The Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea are seismically active areas, Aouda said.
During the last few months, southern regions have witnessed several earthquakes. An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.9 on the Richter scale hit Aswan in mid April, preceded by a 3.1-degree quake that hit the same area.
Earlier in February, an earthquake hit Dahshour area and measured 4 degrees on the Richter scale, while in August last year, an earthquake measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale was registered in Suez, at around 5:15am, but no damages or casualties were recorded.
The 1992 Cairo earthquake occurred at 15:09 local time (13:09 UTC) on 12 October, with an epicenter near Dahshur, 35 km (22 mi) south of Cairo. The earthquake had a magnitude of 5.8, but was unusually destructive for its size, causing 545 deaths, injuring 6,512 and making 50,000 people homeless. It was the most damaging seismic event to affect Cairo since 1847.