Looking into the quite unexpected and catastrophic Morocco Earthquake: time for resilience
Rajib Biswas
Applied Geophysics, Department of Physics, Tezpur University, Tezpur-784028, India
Keywords: Seismicity; damage; depth; fatalities; causative fault
Abstract
There was a significant seismic event (MW 6.8) that occurred in Morocco during the evening of Friday, September 8, 2023. It resulted in the loss of numerous lives, injuries to a substantial number of individuals, and severe destruction to rural communities near the southern metropolis of Marrakesh. This earthquake is regarded as one of the most lethal in the nation's recent history. The earthquake was quite shallow at a depth of 19 km. According to Moroccan state television, the interior ministry reported that the number of fatalities has risen to 2,946, primarily concentrated in the hilly Al Haouz region. Additionally, there have been 5,674 reported cases of injuries. This concise work reports the seismicity as well as tectonic settings of the region. Apart from this, the attributes of damage are also briefly overviewed along with final comments on disaster resilience.
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