2004 Al Hoceima earthquake

Earthquake near the northern Moroccan coast 2004 Al Hoceïma earthquake 2004-02-24 02:27:47 usp000cmxe 7254476 2004 03 Maroc - Séisme Al Hoceima.jpg 2004 2 24 y 03:27:47 CET (UTC+1) Morocco Morocco 30.43 -9.6 Agadir 120 left Green pog.svg Morocco 35.77 -5.8 Tangier 120 left Green pog.svg Morocco 35.142 -3.997 Bullseye1.png 50 yes 35.142 -3.997 Bullseye1.png 50 top 290 right w y 6.3–6.4 IX 0.24 g 12.2 km mi on 35.142 -3.997 inline, title Strike-slip Al Hoceïma and Driouch Provinces, Morocco 631 fatalities, 926 injuries On 24 February 2004 at 03:27 CET (02:27 UTC), an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.3 and maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent) struck Morocco's Al Hoceïma Province. The earthquake's epicenter was located about 13 km mi south-southwest of the provincial capital of Al Hoceima. It killed 631 people, injured 926 others and destroyed over 2,500 homes, mostly in several villages within the Rif Mountains which were devastated. Tectonic setting Northern Morocco lies close to the boundary between the African plate and the Eurasian plate, the Azores–Gibraltar transform fault. This zone of right-lateral strike-slip becomes transpressional at its eastern end, with the development of large thrust faults. To the east of the Strait of Gibraltar, in the Alboran Sea, the boundary becomes collisional in type. Most of the seismicity in Morocco is related to movement on that plate boundary, with the greatest seismic hazard in the north of the country, close to the boundary.Cherkaoui Taj-Eddine El Hassani Ahmed 2012 Seismicity and Seismic Hazard in Morocco 1901–2010 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260941434 Bulletin de l'Institut Scientifique, Rabat, section Sciences de la Terre 34 45–55 Earthquake w6.3–6.4 earthquake at 02:27 UTC 200px USGS Shakemap - 2004 Al Hoceima earthquake.jpg A strong ground motion map of the mainshock Strong ground motion map Measuring w 6.3 or wb 6.4, the earthquake was caused by left-lateral strike-slip faulting on a buried northeast-southwest trending fault, as indicated by moment tensors and the pattern of surface cracks. The epicenter was less than a kilometer west of the village of Ait Kamara, located within the Rif mountains. With a shallow hypocenter 12.2 km mi beneath the surface, it had a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), which was assigned to Ait Kamara and the town of Imzouren; the latter town recorded a maximum peak ground acceleration of 0.24 g. Impact At least 631 people were killed,Earthquakes Fast Facts https://edition.cnn.com/weather/earthquakes-fast-facts CNN News 6 August 2025 29 August 2025 926 others were injured and 15,230 others were displaced. Deaths occurred in 12 municipalities within a 40 km mi radius of Al Hoceima town. At least 2,539 homes were destroyed, including 2,498 in rural areas.Morocco Al Hoceima Quake: Definitive death toll reaches 628 and 926 wounded people https://reliefweb.int/report/morocco/morocco-al-hoceima-quake-definitive-death-toll-reaches-628-and-926-wounded-people MAP ReliefWeb 3 March 2004 29 August 2025 Out of the 2,779 buildings surveyed in the epicentral region, 1,046 were found to have collapsed or were left uninhabitable. Mohammed Boudra, the mayor of Al Hoceima town, said most of the casualties were women and children. Although only minor damage and one fatalityRapports de missions post sismiques - 2004 Al Hoceima (Maroc) https://www.afps-seisme.org/rapports-de-missions-post-sismiques/2004-al-hoceima-maroc fr 26 October 2025 24 February 2004 Association Française du génie Parasismique occurred in the town, hospitals there received overwhelmingly high numbers of casualties from nearby areas.Rescuers search Morocco rubble https://reliefweb.int/report/morocco/rescuers-search-morocco-rubble Australian Broadcasting Corporation ReliefWeb 25 February 2004 29 August 2025 Further inland, many more residents of scattered villages within the Rif Mountains died. Adobe homes in the mountainous communities of Tazaghine, Tizi Ayash and Imzouren were damaged. Ait Kamara, the closest village to the epicenter, was completely destroyed,Over 500 killed in Morocco quake http://articles.cnn.com/2004-02-24/world/morocco.quake_1_al-hoceima-ait-kamara-powerful-earthquake?_s=PM:WORLD Al Goodman February 25, 2004 CNN October 28, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20120713052039/http://articles.cnn.com/2004-02-24/world/morocco.quake_1_al-hoceima-ait-kamara-powerful-earthquake?_s=PM:WORLD July 13, 2012 dead and 207 residents were killed. Five other villages were also heavily affected.Morocco: Earthquake - Information Bulletin n° 1 https://reliefweb.int/report/morocco/morocco-earthquake-information-bulletin-n-1 IFRC ReliefWeb 24 February 2004 29 August 2025 In Imzouren, 73 people died and 110 homes collapsed.Morocco: Earthquake Appeal No. 06/04 - Operations Update no. 3 https://reliefweb.int/report/morocco/morocco-earthquake-appeal-no-0604-operations-update-no-3 IFRC ReliefWeb 9 March 2004 29 August 2025 In the town, a wc 5.3 aftershock at 12:44 UTC on 25 FebruaryM 5.3 - 15 km WNW of Tirhanimîne, Morocco 2004 usp000cn7h killed one person and destroyed two additional homes.Morocco: New 4.5 magnitude quake reported in Al-Hoceima https://reliefweb.int/report/morocco/morocco-new-45-magnitude-quake-reported-al-hoceima MAP ReliefWeb 25 February 2004 29 August 2025 In the village of Aït Abdelaziz, at least 50 people were killedfr Al Hoceïma, un an après le séisme la longue attente sous les tentes https://www.leconomiste.com/article/al-hoceima-un-apres-le-seismebrla-longue-attente-sous-les-tentes live https://web.archive.org/web/20150221155204/https://www.leconomiste.com/article/al-hoceima-un-apres-le-seismebrla-longue-attente-sous-les-tentes 21 February 2015 24 February 2005 29 August 2025 subscription and 70% of homes collapsed. Response The Moroccan Protection Civile and the Royal Moroccan Army were the first to commence search and rescue operations in the area. Additionally, the Moroccan Red Crescent (MRC) worked closely with them in providing immediate relief assistance. According to media reports and the IFRC, the MRC mobilized over 200 staff and volunteers and dispatched relief items, including 2,000 blankets and 100 tents.Morocco - Earthquake OCHA Situation Report No. 1 https://reliefweb.int/report/morocco/morocco-earthquake-ocha-situation-report-no-1 OCHA ReliefWeb 24 February 2004 23 August 2025 Mohammed VI of Morocco, who visited the affected areas on 25 February, ordered all available resources to be mobilized to help with rescue efforts, including armed forces, military helicopters, police and firefighters. The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces joined the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie and local rescue services in search and rescue operations. Helicopters were also used to bring large supplies of search and rescue equipment. Rescuers reported difficulties in reaching the affected areas, situated in the foothills of the Rif Mountains and served by narrow and poor roads.Morocco - Earthquake OCHA Situation Report No. 2 https://reliefweb.int/report/morocco/morocco-earthquake-ocha-situation-report-no-2 OCHA ReliefWeb 25 February 2004 29 August 2025 In the town, a wc 5.3 aftershock at 12:44 UTC on 25 February killed one person.M 5.3 - 15 km WNW of Tirhanimîne, Morocco 2004 usp000cn7h The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) launched an appeal for 2.8 million francs (US$2.3 million) to provide assistance to those left injured and homeless by the earthquake. The IFRC appeal was based on a preliminary assessment of the needs and aims to provide 1,500 tents, 30,000 blankets, 15,000 mattresses, 6,000 kitchen sets, heaters and food items to earthquake survivors. A seven-member Field Assessment and Co-ordination Team (FACT) from the IFRC provided support to the Moroccan Red Crescent and included specialists in emergency response, logistics and health. Emergency Response Units (ERUs) for health and water/sanitation were under consideration pending the assessment of the situation. The Melilla branch of the Spanish Red Cross also dispatched first aid kits. On 25 February, the United States provided 10,000 blankets, tents, water pumping and purification units, water containers, hygiene kits, generators, and other emergency items.U.S. aids victims of Moroccan earthquake https://reliefweb.int/report/morocco/us-aids-victims-moroccan-earthquake US DOS ReliefWeb 25 February 2004 29 August 2025 See also 1960 Agadir earthquake 2003 Boumerdès earthquake 2023 Al Haouz earthquake List of earthquakes in 2004 List of earthquakes in Morocco References ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue (1900–2009) http://www.isc.ac.uk/iscgem/index.php ISC 2015 International Seismological Centre Version 2.0 M 6.4 - 11 km SSW of Tirhanimîne, Morocco 2004 usp000cmxe Further reading The 1994–2004 Al Hoceima (Morocco) earthquake sequence: Conjugate fault ruptures deduced from InSAR http://web.itu.edu.tr/~cakirz/papers/akoglu_etal_EPSL_2006.pdf A. M. Akoglu Z. Cakir M. Meghraoui S. Belabbes S. O. El Alami S. Ergintav H. Serdar Akyüz 2006 Earth and Planetary Science Letters 252 3–4 467–480 10.1016/j.epsl.2006.10.010 2006E&PSL.252..467A Surface Deformation Associated with the Mw 6.4, 24 February 2004 Al Hoceima, Morocco, Earthquake Deduced from InSAR: Implications for the Active Tectonics along North Africa http://bssaonline.org/content/96/1/59.abstract Z. Cakir M. Meghraoui A. M. Akoglu N. Jabour S. Belabbes L. Ait-Brahim 2006 Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 96 1 59–68 10.1785/0120050108 2006BuSSA..96...59C subscriptionAugust 2026 InternetArchiveBot Source analysis of the Mw 6.3 2004 Al Hoceima earthquake (Morocco) using regional apparent source time functions http://www.ugr.es/~florlis/publicaciones/alhuceimas.pdf D. Stich F. de Lis Mancilla D. Baumont J. Morales 2005 Journal of Geophysical Research 110 B06306 1–13 10.1029/2004jb003366 2005JGRB..110.6306S 2013-10-28 https://web.archive.org/web/20131029201639/http://www.ugr.es/~florlis/publicaciones/alhuceimas.pdf 2013-10-29 dead free Time-clustering behavior in the sequence of the aftershocks of the Al-Hoceima (Morocco) 24 February 2004 earthquake L. Telesca M. Rouai T. E. Cherkaoui 2009 Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 9 6 2063–2066 10.5194/nhess-9-2063-2009 free External links M6.4 Al Hoceima, Morocco Earthquake of 24 February 2004May 2025 medicmedic – USGS Buried Strike Slip Faults: The 1994 and 2004 Al Hoceima, Morocco Earthquakes Moroccan Seismic Network: Overview – IRIS Consortium The seismic design code for buildings: A priority for seismic risk reduction in Morocco Preliminary Observations on the Al Hoceima, Morocco, Earthquake of February 24, 2004 – EERI Al-Hoceima earthquake 24 02 2004 – Patrick Murphy Corella Earthquake Mw 6.5 in Morocco, February 24th, 2004 – EMSC 7254476 2004-0073 Category:2000s disasters in Morocco Category:2004 disasters in Africa Al Hoceima Earthquake Category:Earthquakes in Morocco Category:February 2004 in Africa Category:Al Hoceïma Province Category:Taounate Province Category:Taza Province