According to the most recent figures, more than 2,800 people were killed and over 2,500 were injured in Morocco after a massive 6.8 earthquake struck the country on Friday.
While the epicenter was in the Atlas Mountains, around 70 kilometers south of Marrakesh in Al Haouz province, the tremors were felt in Rabat, Casablanca, and Essaouira on the coast.
Moroccan residents lost practically everything in the terrible earthquake, including loved ones, homes, and property. Rescue activities are still underway to free those who are trapped beneath the rubble.
The catastrophic earthquake was caused by a geological phenomena known as a “reverse fault,” according to geologist Jes Galindo-Zaldivar, who has been researching the creation of the Atlas mountains and the geology of the area.
According to him, the phenomena happens when tectonic plates meet, causing the Earth’s crust to thicken. Stress along fault lines can cause earthquakes because rocks abruptly shift to release stored stress, as is typical of a seismic fault, he explained.
According to the geologist, the tremendous magnitude indicates that the fault that caused this earthquake is most likely around 30km long.
According to experts, the terrible earthquake that killed over 50,000 people in Turkey had a horizontal movement. According to AFP, this is due to the country shifting to the west, towards Greece, producing a horizontal movement of the tectonic plates.
However, there was a convergence between Africa and Eurasia or Iberia, the Spanish component, in Morocco, as well as overlapping faults.
The latest earthquake in North Africa was the deadliest since 1960, killing at least 12,000 people, and the most violent since at least 1900.
The quake caused extensive damage, particularly to buildings in Marrakesh Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage site, including the historically significant 12th-century Tinmel Mosque.