Satellite images have uncovered the extent of ground movement caused by the earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, which struck Morocco last week, resulting in thousands of fatalities. The earthquake hit a rural area in the Atlas Mountains, about 75 km (47 miles) from Marrakech, on the evening of Friday, September 8. This area, according to the European Space Agency (ESA), is located on the boundary between the European and African tectonic plates, making it prone to earthquakes.
Following the devastating Morocco earthquake, @copernicusEU #Sentinel1 radar acquisitions from August 30, 2023, and September 11 have been combined to produce an interferogram, which is used to analyze how the ground has shifted as a result of the quake.
Radar measurements conducted by two European satellites in the Sentinel-1 constellation, before and after the disaster, reveal how the tectonic plates moved during the earthquake. According to the BBC, the upward movement of the surface reached a maximum of 15 cm, while in other areas, the ground sank by up to 10 cm.
The ESA stated that "the images obtained from satellite measurements assist scientists and rescue teams in assessing the situation and the risks of aftershocks." Simonetta Cheli, the director of Earth observation programs at the ESA, explained that "the satellites orbiting the Earth are unique in their ability to provide not only a broad view of the affected areas but also very detailed information. They can see through clouds and are often used to map hazardous flooding. In the case of the Morocco earthquake, the mission's value lies in measuring how the surface changed, which will be important once the immediate crisis is over and rehabilitation begins."
The two images used to create the visual representation, known as an interferogram, tracked surface displacement on August 30, more than a week before the earthquake, and on September 11, three days after the disaster.
