It is known that the origin of the earthquake was located at a depth of 18.5 kilometers and its magnitude was 6.9. Eyewitnesses said that the shock lasted about 20 seconds, and after about 19 minutes an aftershock occurred.
According to Zavyalov, the epicenter of the tremors occurred in the Atlas Mountains, an inland strip that extends from the Atlantic coast of Morocco to the Mediterranean coast of Tunisia.
“Part of North Africa has long been known as a seismically active zone. It is true that it is not as active as our Kamchatka, Sakhalin and Kuril islands. But the African and Eurasian plates meet there. Their collision causes earthquakes. Of from time to time “They occur there, even with as much force as the current one. For this region, a seismic event of magnitude 6.9 is really strong,” the scientist explained to aif.ru.
He pointed out that, in addition to Morocco, countries in demand for tourism are also at risk, such as Egypt and Tunisia, and, in principle, the entire Mediterranean coast of Africa and the Atlantic coast of Morocco.
At the same time, according to the seismologist, on a planetary scale an earthquake of magnitude 6.9 is normal, although for this area it is strong and unique.
“Earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 to 6.9 occur on average between 125 and 130 per year. That is, on Earth there are about 10 per month! The thing is that many of them go unnoticed by the public. ordinary people, as they occur in the ocean. or where no one lives. Earthquakes occur every day in large numbers. Every year 17 to 18 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 to 7.9 occur. In February “This year, there were precisely those in Turkey, in terms of energy they are 30 times stronger than what happened in Morocco,” said Zavyalov.
The scientist warned that on average one seismic event occurs on the planet per year with a magnitude greater than 8. This year this has not happened yet, which means it must happen somewhere. It is simply impossible to make a forecast indicating the place and time: scientists do not have enough data on the structure of the Earth’s interior.
“There are maps obtained during the execution of a global seismic project to evaluate seismic danger in the 1990s. They indicate areas with possible accelerations of the earth’s surface caused by the passage of elastic seismic waves. For the area of Morocco where this earthquake occurred, It is indicated that the possible acceleration is 0.2 g, that is, 2 m/s². In fact, this is not a “red zone”, it does not shake constantly and violently, like here in Kamchatka. But you must always be prepared for earthquakes, “- concluded the expert.
