1755 Meknes earthquake

Earthquake in Morocco October 2024 yes Morocco 27 November 1755 6.5–7.0 w yes 34.080 -5.000 region:PK_type:event inline,title Morocco X 15,000 dead The 1755 Meknes earthquake affected Morocco on 27 November 1755. The earthquake had a moment magnitude (w) estimated at between 6.5 and 7.0. It devastated the cities of Fes and Meknes—killing at least 15,000 people in both cities. The earthquake struck less than a month after another earthquake that devastated Morocco and Lisbon on 1 November. Previously regarded as an aftershock, this earthquake likely represented rupture of a separate fault due to changes in tectonic stress following their first event. Tectonic setting The western Eurasian–Africa plate boundary is dominated by the Gloria Fault System which lies between the Azores triple junction and Gibraltar Arc. The plate boundary around the Gibraltar Arc and Alboran Sea area is less defined and characterized by a broad zone of seismicity. The African and Eurasian plates converge in a N–S to NNW–SSE direction. The convergence is related to uplift and thrust tectonics along the Rif mountains.Moratti G. Piccardi L. Vannucci G. Belardinelli M. E. Dahmani M. Bendkik A. Chenakeb M. The 1755 Meknes earthquake (Morocco): field data and geodynamic implications Journal of Geodynamics 2003 36 1–2 305–322 10.1016/S0264-3707(03)00052-8 2003JGeo...36..305M Earthquake The shock came just days after another earthquake affected Lisbon (1 November)—it was mistakenly identified as an aftershock of that event, and misdated to 18 November. Arab sources attribute the earthquake to 27 November and mezoseismal area to Fes and Meknes. A seismic rupture was also reported but poorly documented.Poujol A. Ritz J.-F. Vernant P. Huot S. Maate S. Tahayt A. Which fault destroyed Fes city (Morocco) in 1755? A new insight from the Holocene deformations observed along the southern border of Gibraltar arc Tectonophysics 2017 712–713 303–311 10.1016/j.tecto.2017.05.036 2017Tectp.712..303P During a field survey of the area in 2017, surface ruptures were identified along the 150 km-long Southern Rif front; a thrust fault with some left-lateral strike-slip component. The fault displays a listric geometry and is connected with a décollement at its base; dipping at 60° near the surface to 35° at depth. A slip rate was estimated at 3.5 ± 1 mm/yr for the Holocene. The fault accommodates convergence between the African plate and the Rif. The last earthquake along the fault produced 0.9–1.7 m of coseismic slip—by assuming that as the average slip across a 30 km surface rupture, the moment magnitude obtained was 6.5–7.0. Although not considered an aftershock of the 1 November Lisbon earthquake, it may have been an example of a triggered earthquake due to stress transfer. Damage 350px|thumb|left|Panorama of Volubilis The earthquake caused great devastation in Fes and Meknes; thousands were killed. It was followed by strong aftershocks that continued for months.Significant Earthquake Information https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/1342 National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information 1972 NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information 18 June 2021 10.7289/V5TD9V7K At Meknes, only a few homes remained standing but were badly damaged. Of the 16,000 Jews in the city, only 8,000 survived—an additional 4,000 Muslims perished. The earthquake also destroyed the Christian church and the Franciscan convent and hospital.Funck-Brentano C. Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition 1993 Brill Leiden – New York 39 https://archive.org/details/ei2-complete/Encyclopaedia_of_Islam_vol_7_Mif-Naz/page/38/mode/2up?view=theater 30 April 2024 en Miknas In Fez, 3,000 people died.Blanc P.-L. Earthquakes and tsunami in November 1755 in Morocco: a different reading of contemporaneous documentary sources Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 2009 9 3 725–738 10.5194/nhess-9-725-2009 2009NHESS...9..725B 55971232 free Significant damage occurred at the Roman archeological site Volubilis, and several kilometers to its south, a major landslide affected Moulay Idriss Zerhoun. The documentation of surface rupture led geologists to conclude that it was a local earthquake. Surface ruptures associated with an east–west fault at Jebel Zerhoun and Jebel Zalagh, north of Fes and Meknes were studied. See also List of historical earthquakes List of earthquakes in Morocco References Further reading Habibou E.H. Bouya N. El-Ouardi H. Mercier E. Ramp folds and fracturing in the Southern Rifian Ridges between autochthonous Atlasic domain and allochthonous formations of the Rif Cordillera (Northern Morocco) Mineralia Slovaca 2012 44 65–70 https://www.geology.sk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/MS_1_2012_05_Habibou-et-al_na-web.pdf 1338-3523 Category:1750s earthquakes Category:1755 disasters Category:Earthquakes in Morocco Category:Meknes Category:History of Fez, Morocco Category:1750s in Africa Category:1750s disasters in Africa