List of Earthquakes in Morocco

Northern Morocco is a geographical area located near the boundary between the African and Eurasian plates (the Strait of Gibraltar fault) on the earthquake line, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, which has many active seismic foci, especially in the marine area known as the Alboran Sea off the coasts of Nador and Al Hoceima, and the Atlantic region to the west of Tangier and southwestern Spain and Portugal, making the northern part of the country closer to the border more exposed to seismic risk compared to other areas. Morocco has experienced several earthquakes throughout history, the most severe being the Agadir earthquake in 1960, and the earthquake in 1969 that was felt by residents throughout almost the entire country, resulting in dozens of deaths and 200 injuries, followed by the violent earthquake that struck the city of Al Hoceima on February 24, 2004, which resulted in the death and displacement of hundreds of residents. It is noteworthy that the Lisbon earthquake remains the strongest earthquake to hit northern Morocco in 1775, with a magnitude estimated at 9 on the Richter scale, while the Al Hoceima earthquake of 2004 is one of the strongest earthquakes to impact northern Morocco in this century. Several Moroccan cities have experienced earthquakes at least twice, including: Agadir (1731, 1761), Fez (1755, 1624, 1522), Marrakech (1755, 1719), Meknes (1624, 1755), Melilla (October 1578, August 1660, August 1792, April 1821 (twice), February 1848), Rabat and Salé (1755), Tangier (1773, 1755).