2023-09-10 15:10:26
A car badly damaged by the earthquake stands in front of the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Image: dpa
The so-called hearth mechanism once created the Atlas Mountains – and now triggered the devastating earthquake in Morocco. The severity of the tremors in North Africa is also related to their rarity.
With a magnitude of 6.8, the earthquake that shook the Maghreb and parts of the Iberian Peninsula on Saturday night was exceptionally strong for this region in northwest Africa. The source of the quake was on a previously unknown geological fault in the High Atlas, halfway between the Moroccan tourist metropolis of Marrakesh and the coastal city of Agadir.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), there have been nine earthquakes in this area since 1900, in which people died or buildings collapsed. However, the magnitude of none of these quakes exceeded 6.0.
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