Iraq records 46 earthquakes near Kirkuk over four days

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's General Authority for Meteorology and Seismic Monitoring said 46 earthquakes were recorded east and southeast of Kirkuk between July 30 and August 2, with magnitudes ranging from 1.1 to 4.9. The authority's Seismic Monitoring Department reported that the sequence began at 12:51 a.m. local time on Thursday, July 30, and that the main shock measured 4.5 in magnitude. A separate tremor was recorded on Saturday, August 1, roughly 23 kilometers east of Kirkuk city. The authority said the activity included about 30 foreshocks before the main event and 15 aftershocks afterward, with shaking felt in parts of Kirkuk and in some areas of the Kurdistan Region. According to the department's report, the affected zone lies in the northeastern section of the Arabian Plate and falls within an active seismic belt stretching from northern Iraq to Basra. The belt extends along the Iraq-Iran and Iraq-Turkey borders and reaches depths of approximately 130 kilometers, the report said. The authority added that seismic records for the area from 1900 to 2026 document around 154 earthquakes with magnitudes between 1 and 5.2, with activity continuing in separate phases over time.