Cristina Hodgson
THE two tremors that were felt over the weekend in Sevilla and Jaen, originally believed to be aftershocks of the earthquake in Morocco, are unrelated expert says.
Just hours after the devastating 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday, two earthquakes were recorded in southern Spain.
One in the province of Jaen and a second in Sevilla, both registering a magnitude of 3.3, making it perceptible to the population.
However, according to Inmaculada Serrano Bermejo, the director of the Andalucian Institute of Geophysics and Seismic Disaster Prevention, the two earthquakes recorded this weekend in Andalucia are not related to the earthquake that has claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people in Morocco.
In a statement, Serrano has said that the destructive 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Morocco on Friday and the two 3.3 magnitude earthquakes felt in Castillo de Locubin (Jaen) and Lebrija (Sevilla) are entirely unrelated to each other.
The earthquake expert clarified that if the earthquake in Morocco had originated in the northern region of the country rather than the Atlas Mountains, a potential link with the Andalucian tremors from this weekend could have been explored.
Nevertheless, this connection has been ruled out as the two affected tectonic plates are not directly associated.
The director of the Andalucian Institute of Geophysics, based in Granada, pointed out a stronger link between the northern region and Andalucia, citing the Alhucemas earthquake of 1994 and seismic activity in various locations in Almeria, like Adra, as evidence of this connection.
Furthermore, Serrano explained that although the African fault does exert pressure on the European fault, earthquakes like the two observed in Andalucia over the weekend are primarily influenced by local fault activity, such as the pressure from sediment weight.
READ MORE:
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- Spain mobilises relief aid for Morocco as earthquake death toll rises above 2,000
