Lebanon quake felt in Israel - Haaretz

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Mon., February 18, 2008 Adar1 12, 5768

Israel Time: 02:16 (EST+7)

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Last update - 01:26 17/02/2008

Lebanon quake felt in Israel

By Zafrir Rinat and Eli Ashkenazi

The 5.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Lebanon at about 12:30 P.M. on Friday was felt in many parts of Israel. People from the North to the southern coastal plain reported furniture and other objects shaking, but no injuries or serious damage was reported. In Lebanon, however, newspapers reported yesterday damage to a few abandoned buildings in villages north of Tyre as well as frightened residents running to the beach and reading verses from the Koran.

According to the Geophysical Institute of Israel and the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake took place northeast of Tyre, at a depth of about 10 kilometers. The center was located in a geological rift that is the direct continuation of the Dead Sea Rift, which runs the length of Israel and continues into Lebanese territory.

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"This is an active rift, and the occurrence of a tremor there is not surprising," Dr. Rami Hofstetter, director of the Seismology Division of the Geophysical Institute said. "It was one of the strongest earthquakes that occurred there recently but in the past there were much bigger quakes in the same area."

In the past year, Israel has experienced a 3-4 magnitude earthquakes in the northern Dead Sea and the coastal plain. The National Infrastructures Ministry said following Friday's quake that the most recent tremors have increased fears about a destructive earthquake here.

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