A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck in the Atlas Mountains, southwest of Marrakesh, yesterday, killing more than 800 people. The quake occurred along one of many faults within the range, which stretches northeastward from the Atlantic coast and has peaks that exceed 13,000 feet.
The Atlas Mountains initially formed as a fault-block range during the Jurassic Period, when the regional crust was thinning as Pangea continued to rift apart. Later, early in the Cenozoic Era (about 65 million years ago), additional. uplift was produced by the collision of the African and Eurasian Plates.
While these mountains lie well south of that collision zone, Africa is still moving to the NNW as the Atlantic and Indian Oceans continue to open; in addition, the East African Rift is gradually splitting the Continent. These major tectonic processes increase pressure on faults throughout Africa, producing earthquakes when they slip or rupture.
Addendum (9/11/23): The death toll has now exceeded 2800 individuals
