Iraq records 84 earthquakes in August, with Kirkuk seeing the heaviest activity

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's General Authority for Meteorology and Seismic Monitoring recorded 84 earthquakes in August, including 41 within Iraqi territory and 43 in nearby border areas, according to the agency's monthly report. Magnitudes ranged from 1 to 7.4, with focal depths between 7 and 38 kilometers. Ali Abdulhaliq Ali, head of the Seismic Monitoring Division, said activity was concentrated in four provinces: Kirkuk with 25 tremors, Sulaymaniyah with 9, Diyala with 6 and Erbil with 1. The report covered a four-day period between July 30 and Aug. 2, 2026, during which 46 tremors were detected east and southeast of Kirkuk. The agency said the shaking was felt in most of Kirkuk and parts of the Kurdistan Region, while western and southwestern areas saw little activity. It attributed the distribution to the movement pattern of the Arabian Plate. The authority reported no casualties during August.