Al Hoceima earthquakes explained

The National Institute of Geophysics recorded two earthquakes on Wednesday evening. The first had a magnitude of 4.7 on the Richter scale, the epicenter of this earthquake was located off the coast of the province of Al Hoceima. The epicenter of the second quake, measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale, was off the coast of Driouch province.

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Nacer Jebbour, an expert from the National Institute of Geophysics, said in a statement CARD that the region in which the provinces of Nador, Driouch and Al Hoceima are located has long been characterized by seismic activity. “For about 30 years, the region has been subject to earthquakes of irregular periodicity. That is, they do not occur at the same time of year. In fact, the region records very small tremors every day, which are not felt by the population, but which we can see through the seismic equipment and sensors we have, ”explains Nacer Jebbour.

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The expert explains that the earth’s crust is made up of several plates that are constantly in motion. An earthquake is a shocking vibration or movement of the earth’s crust, which is caused by tensions between the earth’s plates. It is a “normal phenomenon”. Statistical studies are regularly carried out to determine whether there is a decrease in the total mean, a stagnation in the number of earthquakes or a constant level.