Jabal Al-Tair volcano causes earthquakes in different areas [Archives:2007/1109/Front Page]

By: Mohammed Jabri
SANA'A, Dec. 4 – Yemen's Earthquake Observation Center (EOC) reported that it recorded a slight earthquake in the Red Sea Monday evening, measuring 2.7 on the Richter scale. It also observed another 1.9 magnitude earthquake in the same area on Wednesday. Two other slight earthquakes were recorded on Monday and Wednesday in Al-Baidha.

The announcement came after a volcano on Jabal Al-Tair, a tiny island on the Red Sea, erupted again on Monday. Officials said this eruption was strong, with lava shooting high in the air.

Geologists linked the eruption to fissures on the island that were caused by the previous eruption on Sept. 30. They added that the eruption would take a long time to subside.

According to the EOC, in late November two earthquake observation stations were installed on Zuqar and Hunaish, islands in the Red Sea, to observe any seismic activity in the Red Sea area.

The Jabal Al-Tair volcano first erupted on September 30th, killing at least eight Yemeni soldiers on a military base established on the island since Yemen's 1996 conflict with Eritrea over Hanish and Jabal Zuqar.

The island witnessed eruptions in the 18th and 19th centuries, including one in 1883.

Geologists say Yemen has two types of volcanic districts, the first of which is mainland, and includes Sana'a, Amran, Marib, Sirwah, Dhamar, Rada'a, Bir Ali, Aden and Socotra. The second type is island, like Jabal Al-Tair, Hanish and other Red Sea islands.

According to the Global Volcanism Program database for northeast Africa and the Red Sea, the area currently contains 69 Holocene volcanoes and 2 Pleistocene volcanoes with thermal activity, including Jabal Al-Tair, Jabal Zubair, Zuqar and Hanish, all located within Yemen's marine borders.
——
[archive-e:1109-v:15-y:2007-d:2007-12-06-p:front]