The Jordanian Seismological Observatory has recorded 595 earthquakes since the beginning of the year, including 65 local ones.

Arab Weather - Director of the Jordan Seismological Observatory at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Ghassan Sweidan, said that the observatory has recorded 595 earthquakes since the beginning of 2025, including local, regional, and international ones.

Suwaidan explained that the number of local earthquakes that were monitored reached 65, with their strength ranging from (1) to (1.4) degrees on the Richter scale, while 323 regional earthquakes were recorded with a strength ranging from (2.5 - 6.2) degrees, and 207 distant (international) earthquakes with a strength ranging from (4.2 - 7.7) degrees on the Richter scale.

He confirmed that the Jordanian Seismological Observatory did not record any unusual seismic activity through the national network of seismic monitoring stations, nor did it observe any change in areas of seismic activity in Jordan or in the seismic intensity levels of the recorded events.

Suwaidan added that the observatory did not record any new seismic activity outside of the seismically active areas in Jordan, which are: (the Gulf of Aqaba, Wadi Araba, the Dead Sea, the Jordan Valley, and the Sea of Galilee area, and low activity on a number of sub-faults in the eastern regions of Jordan).

He explained that seismic activity in the Kingdom has seasonal or cyclical patterns, and the region is considered seismically active due to its tectonic nature. There is continuous seismic activity along the Dead Sea Transform Fault Zone and the rift valley from the Gulf of Aqaba to Lake Tiberias, in addition to less seismic activity on the sub-faults in the central and eastern parts of the Kingdom.

Compared to 2024

Comparing 2024 and 2025, Suwaidan explained that local seismic activity in 2025 is similar to last year, as 92 earthquakes were recorded during the first half of last year in the Dead Sea, Wadi Araba, Gulf of Aqaba, Jordan Valley, Tiberias, and neighboring border areas. The strongest of these was magnitude 3 in the Gulf of Aqaba, while 65 earthquakes have been recorded in the same areas since the beginning of the year until now, with the highest recorded magnitude reaching 4.1 in the Gulf of Aqaba.

Suwaidan also explained that the number of earthquakes recorded over the past five years has ranged between 80 and 140 local earthquakes annually, which means there is no consistent seismic curve.