This is a list of significant earthquakes that either had their epicentres in Morocco or had a significant impact in the country.
Seismicity in Morocco
editNorthern 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
edit| Date | Region | MMI | Mag. | Deaths | Injuries | Note | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-09-08 | Marrakesh-Safi | IX | 6.8 Mw | 2,960 | 5,674 | Extreme damage | [2][3] |
| 2019-11-17 | Drâa-Tafilalet | VI | 5.2 Mw | Various houses damaged in Midelt | [4] | ||
| 2016-01-25 | Al Hoceima | V | 6.3 Mw | 1 | 15 | Moderate damage | [5] |
| 2007-02-12 | Portugal, Morocco | 6.0 Mw | Minor damage | [6] | |||
| 2004-02-24 | Al Hoceima | IX | 6.3 Mw | 628–631 | 926 | Severe damage | |
| 1992-10-23 | Errachidia | VI | 5.5 Mw | 2 | Damage in Erfoud and Rissani[7] | ||
| 1969-02-28 | Portugal, Morocco | VII | 7.8 Mw | 13 | 80 | Moderate damage | |
| 1960-02-29 | Agadir | X | 5.8 Mw | 12,000–15,000 | 12,000 | Extreme damage | |
| 1909-01-29 | Tétouan | 100 | [8] | ||||
| 1761-03-31 | Portugal, Morocco, Spain | VII-IX | 8.5 Ms | Unknown | Unknown | Tsunami | |
| 1755-11-27 | Meknes | IX | 6.5–7.0 Mw | 15,000 | Severe damage | [9] | |
| 1755-11-01 | Portugal, Morocco, Spain | VII–VIII | 7.7–9.0 Mw | Several thousand | Considerable damage / tsunami | [1] | |
| 1624-05-11 | Fez | IX | 6.0 Mw | Thousands | Extreme damage | [1] | |
| 1522-09-22 | Spain, Morocco | VIII–IX | Several hundred | Severe damage - Epicenter in the Alboran Sea | [1] | ||
| Note: Only damaging, injurious, or deadly events are listed. | |||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ "Devastating Earthquake in Morocco Claims 2,000 Lives and Leaves 1,500 Injured". chennaiprint.in. 2023-09-10. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
- ^ "Earthquake in Morocco causes structural damage, panic". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
- ^ "M 5.2 - 22 km SE of Amersid, Morocco". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
- ^ "M 6.3 - 50 km NNE of Al Hoceima, Morocco". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
- ^ "M 6.0 - Azores-Cape St. Vincent Ridge". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Comments for the 1909 earthquake". National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
- ^ 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.