The entire area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea has always been a hotspot for earthquakes. Much like the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Mediterranean plates are as old and agitated as any on Earth. Morocco, which usually gets a few minor tremors a year, has had its own share of earthquakes that have not only wiped out entire cities, but has cost thousands of people their lives.

The US Geological Survey, an organization that oversees seismic activities around the entire globe, said that the earthquake was rated at a 6.1 on the Richter scale. Its exact location was 335 KM from Lisbon and about 340 KM just northwest of Casablanca. In Rabat, several people claimed to feel the tremor that others had dismissed until they heard that an earthquake actually occurred.

What followed the quake was a minor disruption of cell phone use across the country and a clogging of other landlines due to the minor scare. Those who felt the earthquake at its core in the cities along Morocco’s coastline were taken aback, forced to think about the devastating earthquake in 2004 that left thousands without power and electricity for weeks on end. The infamous Agadir Earthquake, that occurred in the 1960s flattened the city, but was quickly rebuilt thanks to European aid, namely from Germany.

Other cities located inland from Morocco’s coast also felt the tremors that caused pots, pans, and other appliances to rattle on their shelves. No one in the internal areas of other countries affected was hurt. Only some people near Lisbon were evacuated in preventative measures meant to keep people away from structures should the earthquake have produced any strong after shocks. For now, citizens of all the surrounding countries are thankful that everyone was safe and that no real damage was incurred.

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