List of earthquakes in Morocco

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This is a list of significant earthquakes that either had their epicentres in Morocco or had a significant impact in the country.

Contents

Seismicity in Morocco

Northern Morocco lies close to the boundary between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the Azores–Gibraltar Transform Fault. This zone of right-lateral strike-slip becomes transpressional at its eastern end, with the development of large thrust faults. To the east of the Strait of Gibraltar, in the Alboran Sea, the boundary becomes collisional in type. Most of the seismicity in Morocco is related to movement on that plate boundary, with the greatest seismic hazard in the north of the country, close to the boundary. [1]

Earthquakes

DateRegion MMI Mag. DeathsInjuriesNoteRef
2023-09-08 Marrakesh-Safi IX6.8 Mw 2,9605,674Extreme damage [2] [3]
2019-11-17 Drâa-Tafilalet VI5.2 Mw Various houses damaged in Midelt [4]
2016-01-25 Al Hoceima V6.3 Mw 115Moderate damage [5]
2007-02-12 Portugal, Morocco 6.0 Mw Minor damage [6]
2004-02-24 Al Hoceima IX6.3 Mw 628–631926Severe damage
1992-10-23 Errachidia VI5.5 Mw 2Damage in Erfoud and Rissani [7]
1969-02-28 Portugal, Morocco VII7.8 Mw 1380Moderate damage
1960-02-29 Agadir X5.8 Mw 12,000–15,00012,000Extreme damage
1909-01-29 Tétouan 100 [8]
1761-03-31 Portugal, Morocco, Spain VII-IX8.5 MsUnknownUnknownTsunami
1755-11-27 Meknes IX6.5–7.0 Mw15,000Severe damage [9]
1755-11-01 Portugal, Morocco, SpainVII–VIII7.7–9.0 Mw Several thousandConsiderable damage / tsunami [1]
1624-05-11 Fez IXSeveral hundredExtreme damage [1]
1522-09-22FezVIII–IXSeveral hundredSevere damage [1]
Note: Only damaging, injurious, or deadly events are listed.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Active fault</span> Geological fault likely to be the source of an earthquake sometime in the future

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puerto Rico Trench</span> Oceanic trench on a transform boundary between the Caribbean and North American Plates

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The Azores–Gibraltar Transform Fault (AGFZ), also called a fault zone and a fracture zone, is a major seismic zone in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean between the Azores and the Strait of Gibraltar. It is the product of the complex interaction between the African, Eurasian, and Iberian plates. The AGFZ produced these large-magnitude earthquakes and, consequently, a number of large tsunamis: 1755 Lisbon, 1761 Lisbon, 1816 North Atlantic, 1941 Gloria Fault earthquake, 1969 Horseshoe and 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Al Hoceima earthquake</span> Earthquake near the northern Moroccan coast

The 2004 Al Hoceima earthquake occurred on 24 February at 02:27:47 local time near the coast of northern Morocco. The strike-slip earthquake measured 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum perceived intensity of IX (Violent) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Between 628 and 631 people were killed, 926 injured, and up to 15,000 people were rendered homeless in the Al Hoceima-Imzourene-Beni Abdallah area.

The 1969 Portugal earthquake struck western Portugal and Morocco on February 28 at 02:40 UTC. Originating west of the Strait of Gibraltar, the earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.8 and the maximum felt intensity was VII on the Mercalli intensity scale. In total, 13 people died and 80 sustained minor injuries. It is the largest earthquake to hit Portugal since the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

The 1975 North Atlantic earthquake occurred on May 26 at 09:11 UTC. The epicenter was located in the North Atlantic, in an area between the Azores, Iberian Peninsula, and Morocco. It had a magnitude of Mw 7.9, or Ms 8.1.

The 1761 Lisbon earthquake and its subsequent tsunami occurred in the north Atlantic Ocean and south of the Iberian Peninsula. This violent shock which struck just after noon on 31 March 1761, was felt across many parts of Western Europe. Its direct effects were observed even far north in Scotland and Amsterdam, and to the south in the Canary Islands of Spain. The estimated surface-wave magnitude 8.5 event was the largest in the region, and the most significant earthquake in Europe since the Great Lisbon earthquake of 1755.

The 1998 Azores Islands earthquake struck with an epicenter in the Atlantic Ocean, off the Azores Islands of Portugal at 05:19 local time. The shallow mainshock, which measured 6.1 on the moment magnitude scale caused significant damage on the island of Faial and Corvo. At least 10 people died, 100 were injured, and 2,500 people were left without homes.

The 2016 Alborian Sea earthquake struck offshore, north northeast of Al Hoceïma, Morocco in the Strait of Gibraltar on January 25 at 04:22:02 UTC, or roughly 05:22:02 West Africa Time. At its strongest in the Alboran Sea, the earthquake measured 6.3–6.4 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ) at a shallow hypocenter depth of 12 km (7.5 mi). Assigned a maximum Modified Mercalli scale intensity of VI (Strong), the earthquake caused one fatality, injuries to at least 30 persons, and moderate damage in Morocco and Spain.

The 1816 North Atlantic earthquake occurred on 2 February somewhere between the Azores Islands and Lisbon, Portugal. The estimated moment magnitude 8.3–8.9 earthquake had an epicenter offshore in the Atlantic Ocean, and was felt in Lisbon at 00:40 local time. Little is known about the quake, but it is believed to be one of the largest to have struck the Atlantic.

The 1755 Meknes earthquake affected Morocco on 27 November 1755. The earthquake had a moment magnitude (Mw ) estimated at between 6.5 and 7.0. It devastated the cities of Fes and Meknes—killing at least 15,000 people in both cities.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Cherkaoui T-E. (2012). "Seismicity and Seismic Hazard in Morocco 1901-2010". Bulletin de l'Institut Scientifique, Rabat, section Sciences de la Terre. 34: 45–55.
  2. "Devastating Earthquake in Morocco Claims 2,000 Lives and Leaves 1,500 Injured". chennaiprint.in. 2023-09-10. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  3. "Earthquake in Morocco causes structural damage, panic". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  4. "M 5.2 - 22km SE of Amersid, Morocco". United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  5. "M 6.3 - 50km NNE of Al Hoceima, Morocco". United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  6. "M 6.0 - Azores-Cape St. Vincent Ridge". United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  7. Bensaid, Ihsane; Cherkaoui, Taj-Eddine; Medina, Fida; Caldeira, Bento; Buforn, Elisa; Emran, Anas; Hahou, Youssef (2012). "The 1992 Tafilalt seismic crisis (Anti-Atlas, Morocco)". Journal of Seismology. 16 (1): 35–53. Bibcode:2012JSeis..16...35B. doi:10.1007/s10950-011-9248-5. S2CID   129291396.
  8. National Centers for Environmental Information. "Comments for the 1909 earthquake" . Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  9. Poujol, A.; Ritz, J.-F.; Vernant, P.; Huot, S.; Maate, S.; Tahayt, A. (2017). "Which fault destroyed Fes city (Morocco) in 1755? A new insight from the Holocene deformations observed along the southern border of Gibraltar arc". Tectonophysics. 712–713: 303–311. Bibcode:2017Tectp.712..303P. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2017.05.036.