Two weak earthquakes of 2.6 and 2.4 magnitude were recorded in the early morning of February 9.
These two earthquakes had the same epicentre and, although low on the Richter scale, occurred very close to the Maltese islands, several kilometres off Dingli Cliffs, beneath the seabed. The location of the earthquakes coincides with a known system of faults called the Malta Graben.
Another earthquake, this time 130km south of Malta, occurred on February 3.
These and previously monitored earthquakes show that these faults are active and form part of the Sicily Channel Rift Zone that characterises the region of the Maltese islands.
If readers felt earthquake-related shaking on these dates they are encouraged to report their experience through an online questionnaire found on http:// seismic.research.um.edu.mt.
Across the globe a couple of strong earthquakes occurred beneath the sea, south of Iceland and southern Indonesia.