Expert explains earthquakes in Tunisia: Reassuring and terrifying at the same time

The head of the Applied Geophysics Department at the National Institute of Meteorology (INM), Hassan Hamdi, provided insights into the recent frequency of earth tremors. In an interview with TAP, he clarified that the mini-earthquakes happening on the night of May 30 in the governorates of Bizerte and Sousse are part of “normal” seismic activity.

Hamdi elaborated that these earthquakes result from the movement of tectonic plates, particularly the African and Eurasian plates. The phenomenon is driven by the convergence of these plates, with an average movement speed of about 2 cm per year. Tunisia, situated at the northern edge of the African plate, is particularly susceptible to such activity due to its location on the front line of this tectonic movement.

Furthermore, Hamdi shared that preliminary data shows that 21 seismic tremors have been recorded in Tunisia since the beginning of this year.