Shafaq News / The General Authority for Meteorology and Seismological Monitoring at the Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced on Saturday that seven earthquakes hit Iraq and neighboring regions last December.

Samira Redha Khalaf, the Director of the Seismological Monitoring Department, clarified that the total number of earthquakes recorded by the Iraqi seismological monitoring network for the month reached 20, including seven earthquakes inside Iraq, five earthquakes within Iran, and eight earthquakes in Turkey.

She indicated that the seismic events ranged between 2.1 to 4.3 magnitudes, with focal depths varying from 6 to 25 kilometers.

Furthermore, it was noted that seismic activity was notably concentrated within Iraq, specifically in Nineveh governorate's Sheikhan district, where two earthquakes were recorded, as well as two in Duhok's Amedi district, and one each in al-Sulaymaniyah’s Jamjamal district, Diyala’s Baladrooz district, and Maysan’s Ali Al-Gharbi district. Meanwhile, Iran experienced five earthquakes near its borders with Ilam and Kermanshah provinces, and Turkey recorded eight earthquakes near its borders with Iraq.

The report highlighted that the western and southwestern areas of Iraq remained free from any seismic activity. This observation clarifies the nature of the Arabian Plate movement and Iraq's location within it in the northeastern part, showing increased seismic activity toward the continental collision zones, specifically in the north and northeast directions of Iraq.