The professor of Geology at Benha University Zakaria Hamimi, discussed concerns of Egypt entering an earthquake zone following recent earthquakes off the Greek coast, felt by citizens in Egypt on May 14 and May 22.
In a phone interview with TV host Amr Adib on the “al-Hekaya” (The Story) show on MBC Masr on Saturday, Hamimi said that the source of the recent earthquakes is the Hellenic Arc region of Crete.
This region is an active seismic belt, and earthquakes occur at great depth, he said, which mitigates their effects.
The professor noted that “The devastating 1992 (Cairo) earthquake had its epicenter in Dahshur, which is why its impact was so significant.”
Hamimi emphasized that Egypt is completely isolated from seismic belts, assuring, “Egypt is immune to dangerous earthquakes.”
He explained that sometimes the delta’s terrain amplifies the magnitude of an earthquake, which is why citizens feel it, but the earthquake’s magnitude is less than that of its epicenter.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
