Earthquakes in Morocco occur relatively frequently, with about 1,500 to 1,600 earthquakes recorded on average per year based on data from the past several decades
. However, most of these are minor and not felt by people. On average, Morocco experiences about 112 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or higher annually, with around 14 quakes of magnitude 4 or greater each year
. Significant damaging earthquakes are less common but do occur periodically. For example, since 2010, Morocco has had at least three earthquakes above magnitude 6, suggesting that larger, more destructive quakes happen roughly every 1 to 5 years
. Some notable historical earthquakes include:
- The 2023 magnitude 6.8 earthquake near Marrakech, which caused extreme damage and thousands of casualties, marking the deadliest event since the 1960 Agadir earthquake
- The 2004 Al Hoceima earthquake (magnitude 6.3) with severe damage and hundreds of deaths
- The 1960 Agadir earthquake (magnitude 5.8) which killed 12,000 to 15,000 people
Seismic activity in Morocco is mainly concentrated along the Atlas Mountains and offshore near the Alboran Sea and the Azores-Gibraltar fault zone
. The region lies on the northwestern part of the African Plate, where tectonic stresses cause occasional moderate to strong earthquakes
. In summary, while minor earthquakes happen frequently in Morocco (over a thousand per year), strong and damaging earthquakes occur less often, roughly every few years to decades depending on the region and fault activity
. The country has seismic building codes in place since 2004 to mitigate risks in earthquake-prone zones
