Maps | The epicenter of the earthquake in Morocco and its destructive effects | International

The 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco last Friday has caused widespread devastation. The epicenter has been located in the Atlas mountain range, 60 kilometers south of Marrakesh, and its consequences have been felt in a large area around it.

This Monday, the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior raised the number of fatalities to 2,862 people. The most affected areas are the provinces of Al Haouz (1,604), Taroudant (769), Chichaua (202) and the prefecture of Marrakech (18), according to the MAP agency.

The greatest destruction has occurred in mountain towns. Many houses there are made of adobe, with dry and baked clay, and they could not withstand the impact of the earthquake.

According to the first estimates of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the economic losses for Morocco would probably be in a medium-high range, between 1,000 and 10,000 million dollars. And they could be superior.

The worst earthquakes in the region

Friday's earthquake is the largest magnitude to have occurred in Morocco, at least since 1900. However, the deadliest earthquake was recorded in Agadir in 1960, a magnitude 5.8 tremor, 15 kilometers deep, which produced great devastation and killed 12,000 people.

In 2004, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Al Hoceima left 600 dead. The area was hit again in 2016 by an earthquake of similar magnitude, although this time there was only one death.

The tremors of these days have occurred in a region with mapped faults, but with relatively low historical seismicity. Perhaps that is why the risk in the area had been underestimated. The data that seismologists had (until this week) is that there is the Atlas, mountains that grow due to the continental collision, and that there are geological faults, but until now they had recorded little seismic activity. This is how seismologist Itahiza Domínguez explained it: “That is a bit misleading, it may make you think that it does not look like an area where energy accumulates. And in this case it is a mistake, obviously, now we have realized it.”

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