A magnitude 5.4 (Saudi Geological Survey; 5.7 per USGS) earthquake struck the Saudi Arabian desert at Harrat Lunayyir on May 19, 2009, causing a surface fault rupture.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, peer-reviewed research (JGR/AGU), NBC News and the Saudi Geological Survey. The two agencies report different magnitudes (SGS 5.4, USGS 5.7); both are stated in the claim. Wording corrected on 1 Oct 2026 after independent review.
Sources
- What is the relationship between faults and earthquakes ... - USGS.gov (usgs.gov)
- https://volcano.si.edu/showreport.cfm?doi=10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN201103-231040 (volcano.si.edu)
- https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39380701 (nbcnews.com)
- https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jgrb.50286 (agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
- https://sgs.gov.sa/en/pages/earthquakes-in-the-harrat-alshaqa-lunayyir (sgs.gov.sa)