September 8, 2023 Morocco Earthquake

 

September 8, 2023 Moroccan Earthquake

Figure 1. Example of the extensive damage of the 6.8 magnitude that struck Morocco (Werbeck et. al 2023).

On September 8, 2023 a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the country of Morocco just after 11:00 pm local time. The epicenter of the earthquake was 37 miles southwest of the populous city of Marrakesh (British Red Cross 2024). While the shaking from the earthquake impacted this urban city, the worst damage from the earthquake occurred in small rural communities in the High Atlas Mountains, such as Adassil and Tafeghaghte (Voiland 2023).

Figure 2. Damage proxy map of the September 8, 2023 Moroccan Earthquake also showing the epicenter of the earthquake. The epicenter of the earthquake was located 16 miles underground (Voiland 2023).

As stated, on September 8, 2023 a 6.8 magnitude earthquake happened in Morocco just after 11:00 pm local time. An aftershock event occurred 19 minutes later, having a magnitude of 4.9 (Cheloni et. al 2024). The earthquake event claimed the lives of 2,946 individuals, and an additional 600,000 people were affected (British Red Cross 2024). People were affected in a variety of ways as a result of the earthquakes. At least 530 schools were damaged from the shaking, affecting the education of over 100,000 children (British Red Cross 2024). Many people’s homes were destroyed, many people were left without power, and roads were also damaged from the shaking. The damaged roads even slowed rescue efforts to the mountainous villages around the epicenter (Al Jazeera 2023). One interesting cultural impact of the earthquake involves the city of Marrakesh. Marrakesh is a city known for its historical architecture such as its medieval mosques. The oldest part of Marrakesh was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and has buildings dating back to the 11th century (Al Jazeera 2023). Damage in Marrakesh was concentrated in this older part of the city according to locals, due to the buildings being prone to collapsing. Locals said that the older buildings sometimes even collapsed on their own due to them being in a fragile state, but luckily most of the ancient district was left intact (Al Jazeera 2023). 

Figure 3. Shake Intensity Map of the September 2023 Morocco Earthquake. Note the strongest intensity felt southwest of Marrakesh, in the High Atlas Mountains. Map from USGS. 

This earthquake was devastating for Marrakesh and the surrounding rural communities. One reason the community may not have been as prepared for an earthquake of this magnitude is because of the infrequency of earthquakes in the area. The last large earthquake to strike western Morocco was in 1960. An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 occurred near the western coast of Morocco that caused at least 15,000 deaths (Voiland 2023). Perhaps due to the infrequency of earthquakes in the area, people were ill prepared and more lives were lost in the 2023 earthquake as a result. Another factor that could have led to the large amount of casualties is the old architecture found within the oldest parts of Marrakesh. The old architecture was very prone to collapsing. Mitigating the collapse of these structures is tough. Balancing the line between preserving historical architecture or retrofitting these older buildings in case of earthquakes is tricky. It is known that many of these ancient structures were not retrofitted to anti-seismic regulations (Al Jazeera 2023). One aspect of earthquakes and earthquake mitigation I had never really thought of until reading about this earthquake was cultural identity. Maybe people resisted retrofitting these buildings due to their strong cultural relationships with them. This aspect of earthquakes is just one more planners have to account for in order to best mitigate the impacts of earthquakes.  

 Short Video of the Moroccan Earthquake. Includes clips of the earthquake, what areas were impacted, and the plates that caused the earthquake. Link in case the embedded video doesn't work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy-7QH2ZEZU

References

Al Jazeera. September 2023. Fears for Marrakesh’s Ancient Structures After Morocco’s Earthquake. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/9/fragile-state-fears-for-marrakeshs-ancient-structures-after-earthquake 

Al Jazeera. September 2023. Over 2,000 Dead as Powerful Earthquake Hits Morocco Near Marrakesh. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/8/powerful-6-8-magnitude-earthquake-rattles-morocco.

British Red Cross. September 2024. Morocco Earthquake 2023: Red Cross Red Crescent Response. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://www.redcross.org.uk/stories/disasters-and-emergencies/world/morocco-earthquake-2023-latest-news-and-updates

Cheloni, D., Famiglietti, N.A., Tolomei C., Caputo R., and Vicari A. 2024.The 8 September 2023, MW 6.8, Morocco Earthquake: A Deep Transpressive Faulting Along the Active High Atlas Mountain Belt. Geophysical Earth Letters 51. https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2023GL106992#:~:text=The%202023%20Morocco%20earthquake%20sequence,Koulali%20et%20al.%2C%202011%3B 

USGS. September 2023. M 6.8 - Al Haouz, Morocco. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000kufc/shakemap/intensity 

 Voiland, A. September 2023. Devastation in Morocco. Nasa Earth Observatory. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/151847/devastation-in-morocco 

Werbeck, N., Sherlock, R., and Lozano, V. September 2023. Photos: See the Aftermath of the Earthquake in Morocco. NPR. Accessed September 15, 2024.  https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2023/09/09/1198656355/photos-see-aftermath-of-earthquake-in-morocco