Jeddah: The Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) has ruled out the possibility of any volcanic or seismic activity in the Kingdom during the next two years, refuting predictions made by the US Geological Survey (USGS).

"Any prediction of volcanic or seismic activity requires continuous observation of the earth as well as the changes that indicate its impending occurrence," the SGS said in a statement on Sunday.

Professor Ali Adnan Eshky of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah warned of possible volcanic eruptions in the Kingdom during the next two years, citing the USGS report. He said a volcano in Al-Eis would affect Madinah, Yanbu and surrounding areas.

The SGS said it was possible to predict an eruption a short while before its occurrence by continuously monitoring all phenomena that accompany volcanic activity such as gases and expansion of cracks caused by tremors.

"What has been said about possible volcanic eruptions in the Kingdom is not based on any confirmed scientific measurement," the SGS said of the USGS warning. It said earthquakes in the Kingdom are linked to seismic activities in the Arabian Peninsula.

Speaking about volcanic areas in the Kingdom, the SGS said: "They are in the form of lava mountains formulated about 30 million years ago. The last eruption occurred about 800 years ago, southeast of Madinah."

According to Eshky, there are about 300 volcano craters between Makkah and Madinah that could erupt at any time. He said residents of the region should be informed on how to respond to a volcanic eruption.

According to a study published in Nature Geoscience journal, underground magma movement was the trigger of a swarm of 30,000 minor earthquakes in Saudi Arabia in 2009.

The swarm occurred in the Harrat Lunayyir lava field near the Red Sea, prompting the Saudi government to evacuate 40,000 people from the region to prevent loss of life from a possible larger earthquake or volcanic eruption.

The seismic activity shook the region between April and June and reached its peak on May 19 when 19 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than four produced a fault rupture 8 km long and 18 inches wide, the study said.

The lava fields in Saudi Arabia are considered young on a geologic scale, with a notable eruption near Madinah in 1256AD; a recent event considering the 4.6 billion year age of the earth. Although humans haven't witnessed volcanic activity in this area for hundreds of years, scientists say we shouldn't be surprised.

"The Red Sea rift has a chain of underwater volcanoes along its axis," said USGS volcano seismologist Wendy McCausland. "Since it is deep underwater, we are rarely reminded of this ongoing volcanism."