Nature2009Saudi Arabia (Harrat Lunayyir, northwestern Saudi Arabia)high confidence

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck the Saudi Arabian desert on May 19, 2009, causing a surface fault rupture.

Notes on verification

Confirmed by multiple independent sources including Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, peer-reviewed research (JGR/AGU), NBC News, and Saudi Geological Survey. Minor magnitude discrepancy between agencies (SGS 5.4 vs USGS 5.7) noted but does not undermine overall corroboration.

Sources