February 29, 1960 Earthquake: Agadir, Morocco
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Agadir, Morocco on February 29, 1960 at 23:40:14 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 13,100 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- February 29, 1960
- Time
- 23:40:14 UTC
- Place
- Agadir, Morocco
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Intensity
- 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 30.450° N, 9.620° W
- Country
- Morocco
The toll
- Deaths
- 13,100
- Injuries
- 25,000
- Damage
- $120 million
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
February 29, 1960, 23:40:12 UTC, 30 N, 9 W, magnitude 6.25 MS, Morocco. 12,000 killed, 25,000 injured and major property damage at Agadir. 90% of Talborjit quarters, 70% of new buildings, and 20% industrial buildings destroyed. (reference #45)
February 29, 1960, 23:40:14 UTC, 30 deg 27 min N, 9 deg 37 min W, shallow depth, magnitude 5.9 MS. The exact number of dead in Agadir on 29 February 1960 will never be known, as no count was taken and the corpses had to be buried very quickly: the total is probably between 12,000 and 15,000. (reference #1040)
February 29, 1960, Agadir, 12,000 deaths, $120 million damage. (reference #1051)
February 29, 1690, Morocco, 13,1000 killed, $120 million dollars damage. (reference #1231)
February 29, 1690, 30.5 N, 9.5 W, magnitude 6.75. Agadir was destroyed by two shocks and the accompanying fire. Early reports mention a tsunami wave, which reached 300 yards inland and did great damage in the area close to the sea. Since no wave was recorded on a local tide gage and a fishing boat slip was not damaged, later sources have denied the existence of the wave. ((reference #41)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
More
Significant earthquakes of 1960The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1960Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4216.