M6.8 Earthquake near Al Haouz, Morocco — September 8, 2023
2023-09-08 22:11:01 UTC (2023-09-08) · approx. 9:11 PM UTC-1 local
Felt by 1,988 people across a wide area. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 8.5 (violent).
On September 8, 2023 at 22:11 UTC, a magnitude 6.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck near Al Haouz, Morocco, at a depth of 19.0 km and coordinates 31.0580°, -8.3847°. The earthquake was reported felt by 1,988 peopleacross a wide area, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 8.5 (violent). The USGS PAGER system issued a red alert level for this event, indicating widespread severe impact likely. This earthquake was detected by 380 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 2690, making it one of the most significant global earthquakes in recent days. The nearest populated place is Amizmiz (population 0).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 30 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 8.5 (violent), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Severe shaking causing considerable damage. Buildings may shift off foundations. Walls crack and may partially collapse. Heavy furniture overturned.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 1,988 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 738,891 |
| MMI 4 | light | 10,708,005 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 4,579,569 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 3,228,729 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 815,817 |
| MMI 8 | severe | 131,023 |
Earthquake Details
-8.3847°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.8 earthquake near Al Haouz, Morocco?
The magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck near Al Haouz, Morocco on September 8, 2023 at 22:11 UTC had a depth of 19.0 km. It was felt by 1,988 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 8.5 (violent). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 31.0580°, -8.3847°, which is near Al Haouz, Morocco. The nearest populated place is Amizmiz (population 0).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.8 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000kufc). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, September 8, 2023). M6.8 Earthquake near Al Haouz, Morocco — September 8, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000kufc/