Earthquake Journal Entry
Deadly Quake Slams Morocco (February 25, 2004)
A deadly earthquake shook northern Morocco this week. The red line marks the boundary between the African and Eurasian plates. USGS.
A strong earthquake registering magnitude 6.4 struck northern Morocco this week, killing more than 600 people. The quake shook the region near the city of Al Hoceima along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It leveled hundreds of mud and stone homes in several villages. Rescuers were having problems reaching many of the victims living in the foothills of the Rif Mountains due to the poor condition of the roads in the area.
The earthquake's epicenter was about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of Fes. The extremely shallow tremor struck only about a mile below the floor of the Mediterranean. Shaking was felt across the Strait of Gibraltar in southern Spain and up to 200 miles (300 kilometers) away in Algeria.
Morocco, which lies near the boundary between the African and Eurasian plates, is often hit with strong earthquakes. The boundary runs east to west through the Mediterranean Sea.
The most deadly quake to hit Morocco in recent memory was in 1960, when 15,000 people died. In neighboring Algeria, more than 2,000 people were killed in a tremor that struck the region last May.
