The Ministry of Transport / General Authority for Meteorology and Seismology announced today, Saturday, the registration of 7 earthquakes in Iraq during the month of December 2023. Samira Redha Khalaf, director of the Seismic Monitoring Department, stated in a press release, "The General Authority for Meteorology and Seismology issued the seismic bulletin for Iraq and neighboring areas for December 2023, with a total of 20 recorded earthquakes for the month, including 7 in Iraq, 5 in Iran, and 8 in Turkey." She noted that the magnitudes of the seismic events ranged from 2.1 to 4.3 on the Richter scale, while their focal depths varied between 6 to 25 km.
She added, "The activity was clearly concentrated within Iraq, particularly in Nineveh Province (Sheikhan District), which recorded two earthquakes, while two occurred in Dohuk (Amadiya), and one in each of the provinces of Sulaymaniyah (Chamchamal District), Diyala (Baladrooz District), and Maysan (Ali al-Gharbi District). In Iran, five earthquakes were recorded near our borders in Ilam and Kermanshah provinces, and in Turkey, eight earthquakes were recorded near our borders."
She pointed out that "the western and southwestern regions of Iraq experienced no seismic activity, which clarifies the nature of the movement of the Arabian Plate and Iraq's position relative to it, specifically towards the northeastern regions and increased seismic activity towards continental collision zones, particularly towards the north and northeast of Iraq."
