2004 Morocco earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 2004 Morocco earthquake, at a magnitude 6.4Mw
, occurred on 24 February 2004 near the coast of northern Morocco
.
At least 628 people were killed, 926 injured, 2,539 homes destroyed and more than 15,000 people homeless in the Al Hoceima
-Imzourene-Beni Abdallah area, Morocco. Maximum intensity IX in the Imzourene-Ait Kamra area. Ground cracks and landslides were observed between Ajdir and Beni Abdallah and maximum horizontal acceleration
of 0.24g was recorded near Imzourene. Felt from Tetouan to Nador and as far south as Fes
. Felt (V) at Melilla and (III) in many parts of southern Spain from Algeciras to Roquetas de Mar. Felt (II) at Cordoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaen and Madrid. Also felt in Gibraltar. Several aftershocks killed at least three people and destroyed previously weakened buildings. This earthquake occurred near the eastern end of the Rif mountain belt, which is part of the diffuse boundary between the African and Eurasian plates. The moment tensors and pattern of surface cracks indicate left-lateral strike-slip faulting on a buried NE-SW trending fault. This quake occurred near the epicenter of the magnitude 6.0 Al Hoceima earthquake of May 26, 1994, that injured one person and caused significant damage to adobe buildings.
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
, occurred on 24 February 2004 near the coast of northern Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
At least 628 people were killed, 926 injured, 2,539 homes destroyed and more than 15,000 people homeless in the Al Hoceima
Al Hoceima
Al Hoceima is a city and port in the north of Morocco and in the center of the Rif Mountains. The Al Hoceima city region has a population of 395.644 and is the capital of the Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate region...
-Imzourene-Beni Abdallah area, Morocco. Maximum intensity IX in the Imzourene-Ait Kamra area. Ground cracks and landslides were observed between Ajdir and Beni Abdallah and maximum horizontal acceleration
Peak ground acceleration
Peak ground acceleration is a measure of earthquake acceleration on the ground and an important input parameter for earthquake engineering, also known as the design basis earthquake ground motion...
of 0.24g was recorded near Imzourene. Felt from Tetouan to Nador and as far south as Fes
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
. Felt (V) at Melilla and (III) in many parts of southern Spain from Algeciras to Roquetas de Mar. Felt (II) at Cordoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaen and Madrid. Also felt in Gibraltar. Several aftershocks killed at least three people and destroyed previously weakened buildings. This earthquake occurred near the eastern end of the Rif mountain belt, which is part of the diffuse boundary between the African and Eurasian plates. The moment tensors and pattern of surface cracks indicate left-lateral strike-slip faulting on a buried NE-SW trending fault. This quake occurred near the epicenter of the magnitude 6.0 Al Hoceima earthquake of May 26, 1994, that injured one person and caused significant damage to adobe buildings.