Week 5 Volcanoes

Morocco really doesn’t have many earthquakes so the volcano activity is dormant at the moment. With the low activity of earthquakes this country has the volcano activity is none existence in that region at this time. This country hasn’t seen much of any activity since the big earthquake in Agadir many years ago so therefore volcanic activity is at rest. There is an article that mentions mud volcanoes off the coast of Morocco. These mud volcanoes have been suspected but not active. The first one discovered was offshore of Moroccan margin in the Gulf of Caldiz. The Gulf of Caldiz is located along the African-Eurasian plate boundary. As for any active volcano activity in Morocco or the nearby countries such as Spain and Portugal, there isn’t any to report at this moment.  
 

http://www.academia.edu/1363388/New_discoveries_of_mud_volcanoes_on_the_Moroccan_Atlantic_continental_margin_Gulf_of_C%C3%A1diz_morpho-structural_characterization

 

 

 

Week 4 Tsunami

Morocco is working on putting a tsunami hazard in place. Studies show the historical data is reviewed and what is needed for better warnings. The discussion is to establish an effective early warning system and mitigation system to detect potential tsunamis.  This system would help alert the community and prevent a major devastation from taking place as it did many years ago.  This system would be a great resource for the country and potentially save many lives if put in place as a priority as an emergency system. There is also a discussion focused around the construction of the buildings vulnerability and impact maps. These hazards were actually a study that took place because of the devastation that happened in 1755. These hazards should become a priority for the country.

 http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/11/2181/2011/nhess-11-2181-2011.pdf

Week 3 Earthquakes

Morocco’s seismic activity over the past decade has been moderate. Most of the seismic activity is in the North and Southeast part of Africa. History shows that one of the worst earthquakes that ever happened was in this country. The major earthquake that took many lives and destroyed many buildings was the one that took place in Agadir in 1960. This event killed many people and damaged many buildings. The devastation made a big impact on how the country would build itself back up. The measures that took place to prevent this kind of devastation from happening again were how they now build and construct buildings. Most of the buildings that were built are not multistory they are square-type buildings for more safety.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/events/1960_02_29.php

  

 

Week 2 Plate Tectonics

Morocco is located in the northwestern corner of Africa. Its geographical composition includes the Atlas Mountains, the Western Sahara and miles of coastline on the Atlantic and Mediterranean oceans. Morocco is located on the African plate and its closest plate boundary is a convergent boundary that runs through the straits of Gibraltar.  (Pg. 24) One of the major hazards that could occur are earthquakes. (Pg. 27)

Reference: Class Textbook, Natural Hazards and Disasters (2006)