Two small earthquakes struck an area on the east coast of the UAE on Monday.
The first quake, of 3.1 magnitude, took place at a depth of 5 kilometres, just before 5am in Dibba, Fujairah.
A second, registering 2.3 magnitude, followed at 7.24am in the same location.
Khamis Al Shamsi, director of seismology at the National Centre of Meteorology, said these were nothing out of the ordinary.
"This happens maybe three to four times in a year," he told The National.
"Usually after the bigger earthquake, there is a smaller one. But these two are light shocks, not big."
According to a tsunami alert warning site, earthquakes below a magnitude of 2 can only be detected by instruments, while anything from 2-2.9 may cause hanging objects to swing.
Anything between the magnitude of 3 and 3.9 creates tremors which are comparable to the vibrations of a passing truck.
Quakes which register between 4 and 4.9 may break windows or cause small or unstable objects to fall.
Dibba sits on an active fault line, which crosses into Oman.
The area experiences small to medium quakes up to the magnitude of 4-5.5, according to a seismic hazard assessment survey carried out by UAE authorities.
In 2002, Masafi in Fujairah experienced a 5 magnitude quake.
"It caused cracks in the walls to old buildings," said Mr Al Shamsi.
"It was a moderate quake. The big ones are 6 up to 7 or 8 magnitude.
"The UAE would not see these."
The country sits on the edge of the Arabian tectonic plate, adjacent to the Iranian plateau – one of the most seismically active areas in the world, which regularly suffers destructive quakes.
Since 1900, at least 126,000 people have died in Iran as a result of earthquakes.
The UAE occasionally experiences tremors from powerful earthquakes in Iran.
In 2014, a 5.1 magnitude quake southern Iran was felt in Dubai and the northern emirates.
And a year earlier, people were evacuated from high-rise buildings in Dubai as a precaution, after a 7.8 magnitude quake struck Iran’s border with Pakistan.
In pictures: 300-year-old Sharjah fortress transformed into a tourist attraction
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Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
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Rating: 0/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
if you go
The flights
The closest international airport to the TMB trail is Geneva (just over an hour’s drive from the French ski town of Chamonix where most people start and end the walk). Direct flights from the UAE to Geneva are available with Etihad and Emirates from about Dh2,790 including taxes.
The trek
The Tour du Mont Blanc takes about 10 to 14 days to complete if walked in its entirety, but by using the services of a tour operator such as Raw Travel, a shorter “highlights” version allows you to complete the best of the route in a week, from Dh6,750 per person. The trails are blocked by snow from about late October to early May. Most people walk in July and August, but be warned that trails are often uncomfortably busy at this time and it can be very hot. The prime months are June and September.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
