A magnitude 4.0 earthquake shook the waters of the Persian Gulf early Friday morning, approximately 55 kilometers east of Jubail in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. The Saudi Geological Survey confirmed that the tremor was detected by the Kingdom’s National Seismic Monitoring Network, emphasizing that it posed no threat to land or life.
“Everything is under control. Saudi territory was not affected, and the situation remains completely safe,” a Geological Survey spokesperson said, noting that such low-level seismic activity is not uncommon in the region.
The official explanation attributes the tremor to natural stress on existing fault lines in the Gulf region, specifically the ongoing collision between the Arabian tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate. The Arabian Plate is moving northeast at a rate of approximately 1.5-2 centimeters per year, creating complex interactions with surrounding plates that shape the region’s geology.
However, some scientists have raised questions about whether human activities might be contributing to seismic events in the area. The region hosts some of the world’s largest hydrocarbon reservoirs, including Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar Field and Qatar’s Shemal Gas Field, where extensive extraction operations have been ongoing for decades.
Hydrocarbon extraction can alter subsurface pressure conditions, potentially reactivating faults that are already under stress. Deep faults in the crystalline basement rock of the Arabian Plate are particularly sensitive to these changes, especially those related to the Zagros orogeny and Red Sea rifting.
The eastern Saudi Arabia region, including Qatar and Bahrain, contains several important fault systems that accommodate movement between tectonic plates. The Al-Hasa Fault near Al-Hasa Oasis and the Qatif Fault near Qatif have both shown signs of activity. The Qatar Arc, part of the larger Qatar-Kazerun basement structure, creates localized stress concentration along existing faults.
While no major earthquake-induced seismicity has been officially documented in Saudi Arabia or Qatar, monitoring data from the Saudi Arabian Geological Survey and Iranian Seismic Network have shown correlations between periods of intense hydrocarbon extraction and increased seismic events near major oil fields.
The risk of induced seismicity becomes particularly concerning when exploration and extraction operations interrupt stressed faults. Mild to moderate earthquakes (M3-M5) could potentially damage infrastructure, pipelines, or offshore platforms. If a major bedrock fault were to reactivate, larger earthquakes (M6+) might pose risks to cities such as Dammam or Doha.
Between March and April 2025, seven earthquakes were recorded in the region, raising questions about whether increased production, injection, or wastewater disposal might have contributed to destabilizing adjacent faults.
Experts note that induced earthquakes sometimes occur months or years after operations begin due to gradual stress changes, particularly when activities take place near strike-slip or reverse faults.
The Saudi Geological Survey continues to monitor seismic activity in the region using advanced technology. For most residents of the Eastern Province, Friday’s tremor likely went unnoticed, but it serves as a reminder of both the natural tectonic processes and potential human influences shaping the region’s seismic landscape.
As oil and gas production remains vital to the economies of Gulf nations, balancing energy extraction with seismic risk management represents an ongoing challenge for authorities and energy companies alike.
