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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Five earthquakes early Monday struck the port city of Aqaba, 330km south of the capital, but no damages or casualties were recorded.

The strongest quake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale was registered at around 4:46am, preceded by four aftershocks, the Jordan Seismological Observatory (JSO) said.

The geology director at the Energy Ministry, Ali Sawarieh, told Petra that the JSO today recorded a "seismic storm" that began at dawn with a 5.1 magnitude earthquake that was centered at a depth of 13 kilometers and took place 66 kilometers south of Aqaba.

The aftershocks started half an hour after the first earthquake with a magnitude of 2.5 that was centered at a depth of 18 kilometers near
the border with Palestine, but it was almost imperceptible, he added.

Sawarieh described the seismic storm as a reassuring one, stressing that no damages or injuries were reported.

On April 15, an earthquake measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale was registered in the Lisan in the Dead Sea area, preceded by another quake with a magnitude of 3.1.

During the last few months, the southern regions have witnessed several earthquakes. Last February, an earthquake measuring 4 degrees on the Richter scale hit the Wadi Araba area.

Aqaba was hit by a strong earthquake in November 22, 1995, with a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale.