February 24, 2004 Earthquake: Al Hoceima, Imzourene, Beni Abdallah, Morocco

Name: February 24, 2004 Earthquake: Al Hoceima, Imzourene, Beni Abdallah, Morocco
Start: 2004-02-24
Location: Al Hoceima, Imzourene, Beni Abdallah, Morocco

February 24, 2004 · M6.4 · 628 deaths · $400 million · 2,539 houses destroyed

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Al Hoceima, Imzourene, Beni Abdallah, Morocco on February 24, 2004 at 02:27:46 UTC, 0 km below the surface. It killed 628 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 24, 2004
Time: 02:27:46 UTC
Place: Al Hoceima, Imzourene, Beni Abdallah, Morocco
Magnitude: 6.4 (Mw)
Focal depth: 0 km (0 mi)
Intensity: 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 35.142° N, 3.997° W
Country: Morocco

The toll

Deaths: 628
Injuries: 926
Damage: $400 million
Houses destroyed: 2,539

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.

At least 628 people killed, 926 injured,

2,539 homes destroyed and more than 15,000 people

homeless in the Al Hoceima-Imzourene-Beni Abdallah

area, Morocco. Maximum intensity IX in the Imzourene-

Ait Kamra area. Ground cracks and landslides were

observed between Ajdir and Beni Abdallah and maximum

horizontal acceleration of 0.24g was recorded near

Imzourene. Felt from Tetouan to Nador and as far south

as Fes. Felt (V) at Melilla and (III) in many parts of

southern Spain from Algeciras to Roquetas de Mar. Felt

(II) at Cordoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaen and Madrid.

Also felt in Gibraltar. Several aftershocks killed at

least three people and destroyed previously weakened

buildings. This earthquake occurred near the eastern

end of the Rif mountain belt, which is part of the

diffuse boundary between the African and Eurasian

plates. The moment tensors and pattern of surface

cracks indicate left-lateral strike-slip faulting on a

buried NE-SW trending fault. This quake occurred near

the epicenter of the magnitude 6.0 Al Hoceima

earthquake of May 26, 1994, that injured one person

and caused significant damage to adobe buildings. (reference #1053)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 2004 The 2000s Every quake the USGS located in 2004 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 5765.