marrakech tourism after earthquake

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What a Trip to Morocco After a Devastating Earthquake Taught Me About Visiting a Destination in Recovery

Here's what to consider when booking a trip after tragedy, according to travel experts.

3yephotography/Getty Images

The line of horse-drawn carriages was long, and proud: tidy rows of emerald green vehicles, with the minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque for a backdrop. But there were few takers for a late afternoon ride, even in the stifling October heat. 

My husband and I had just crossed Marrakesh ’s famed Jemaa el Fnaa Square, marveling at the brightly colored stalls of fruits, vegetables, and spices. Yet the square, named a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2001, felt nothing like it did when we’d last visited, a decade ago. Back then, we saw snake charmers and artisans and tourists from all over the world embracing the chaos. This time, the noise was now turned down a notch, save for the occasional putter of a motorcycle; the lyrical call to prayer; or an eager vendor, beckoning us to "come have a look! "

That’s because this trip to Marrakesh came just one month after a deadly 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco , inflicting great loss of life and structural damage, mainly in the villages of the Atlas Mountains. Marrakesh was not unscathed; there were a few casualties and some buildings in the medina collapsed. Walking the winding alleyways with our guide, Mohammed Bousekri, we occasionally saw steel beams, acting as reinforcement. (And visitors today will see the Koutoubia Mosque, which dates to the 12th century, is now clad in scaffolding due to repairs.)

Other parts of the city seemed to be untouched; the airport was the same as ever, and many hotels and resorts were open for business, including the iconic La Mamounia , celebrating its 100th anniversary with a gala weekend featuring local dignitaries and celebrities like Mika and French pianist Sofiane Pamart. Those working at shops and restaurants welcomed us in; I bought a chunky, stone Berber necklace in the medina, chatting casually with the shopkeeper, a friend of Bousekri’s. He remarked how yes, things were a bit slow. 

Stefano Barzellotti/Getty Images

Business owners, still feeling the impact of COVID closures over the last few years, were trying to cope with this new setback. “The mindset in Marrakesh is we need to band together,” said Nick Minucciani, co-founder of fashion brand Marrakshi Life , which sells chic shirts, jackets, and dresses. His shop and atelier in the industrial quarter, Sidi Ghanem, employs 70, many of whom have family and friends in the more hard-hit areas of the country. “Marrakesh is the heart, and then the veins extend throughout to the mountains.”

Minucciani’s perspective captured the should-we, shouldn’t-we that so many travelers, including me, are feeling these days. Tourism is a huge economic driver across the globe, contributing 7.6% of global GDP in 2022. It’s a critical way that destinations can get back to normal after a crisis, whether that’s a natural disaster, terrorism, or political upheaval. But as a traveler, I also recognize that visiting a place that’s endured a traumatic event can get complicated, quickly. Are you a burden, physically and emotionally, to the local population? Will your dollars truly be welcome? And when exactly is the right time to go? 

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but experts in the travel industry I’ve spoken with tend to follow a few principles when deciding to go back to a place impacted by tragedy. It’s advice that I often follow myself — and that can make all of us better, more conscientious travelers. 

Tap into social media.

In the initial hours and days after the September earthquake, many journalists — not to mention businesses in Marrakesh and the Atlas Mountains — were documenting relief efforts in close to real time. La Mamounia, for example, posted to Instagram on Sept. 11, sharing that the hotel staff and their families were safe. (They also made a call for donations to support relief work.) Then, amazingly, things started to shift: on Sept. 13, there was a post depicting a dining table, saying, “We are ready to serve You!” accompanied by the hashtags #MarrackechKeepsShining #MarrakechNow #StrongMarrakech, among others. On Sept. 16, there was a post depicting female chefs and food displays to promote a weekend brunch, with similar hashtags including #MarrakeshNeedsYou and #StrongMorocco. Jarring? A little, but in the world of Instagram, messages and sentiment turn on a dime. The hotel was clearly telegraphing that it was open, one of the things that gave me confidence to make the journey. If you’re planning a trip, consider following accounts from hotels, restaurants, tourism boards, and local authorities to keep apprised of the situation on the ground. 

Yannick Tylle/Getty Images

Call on a travel advisor.

Many travelers are now building long-term relationships with travel specialists, who help them navigate complex trips, tough restaurant reservations, even last-minute concert tickets. Advisors have a global network and can give you real-time advice and assistance. They can also be critical when you’re headed to a recently impacted destination. 

“We like to call a host of different people in a destination to get their take,” says Jack Ezon, founder of luxury travel agency Embark Beyond and member of T+L’s Travel Advisory Board . “We will also reach out to a concierge, a specific tour guide, a tour company and sometimes even a restaurant maître d'hôtel. We literally ask them how they are doing, if they are ready, and what the place is actually like.”

Sometimes, travel advisors find themselves in the middle of the crisis. Take the case of Mark Lakin, founder of the Legacy Untold and another member of T+L’s advisory board , who happened to be in Marrakesh when the earthquake hit. “The media reports the news with many ideas in mind, and the tourism economy is almost never the first consideration,” Lakin told me recently. “I felt that the most important thing that I could do was to report the truth from the ground to travelers and the travel industry. After some clean up and three days of national mourning, Marrakesh looked and felt pretty normal,” adds Lakin, who is based in New York City. “Shops, cafes, and restaurants were welcoming travelers with open arms.”

Manage your own expectations.

In my experience, one of the key concerns for travelers is infrastructure: is a destination physically ready for me? “We speak to clients all the time about destinations in recovery,” says Ezon of Embark Beyond. Over the years, he has sent clients to storm-impacted destinations such as Puerto Rico, Los Cabos, and Turks & Caicos — and is now sending people to Maui, which is slowly getting back on its feet after the fire . He shared with me how key it was to set expectations with his travelers. “We speak to clients all the time about destinations in recovery. Most of the time we will suggest visiting, then hold our breath for the inevitable ‘Is it safe”? Isn’t it all destroyed?’ Once you put things into perspective and give them an honest expectation of what things will look like on arrival, clients often book.” 

I felt comfortable returning to Marrakesh because La Mamounia had already been open for several weeks. That said, I did arrive at the hotel with a different, more empathetic mindset, eyes a little wider. I was prepared to be more judicious in my requests of the staff, more attuned to my surroundings, more overt in my thanks and gratitude. The restaurants, spa, and on-site boutiques were all welcoming international guests — but the mood at times was hushed and reflective, given the circumstances. My stay proceeded as “normal” as normal could be during a difficult time.

Travel with sensitivity.

Even when a place is open to visitors, it's critical to understand the nuance of what traveling can really mean. Consider the perspective of Carmen Teresa Targa , the San Juan-based vice president of Condado Travel and another advisory board member. She endured Hurricane Maria hitting Puerto Rico and had conflicting feelings in the aftermath. “When someone called me and asked if they should visit the island, of course I said yes,” said Targa, whose travel agency is a family-owned business. “Because their visit was going to bring in revenue. Their visit was going to help my neighbor purchase food, water, medicines, and fuel.”

At the same time, she was dealing with her own crisis. “Did I want them to come? No. I didn’t want to see any pictures on social media of people enjoying themselves on the beach, 20 minutes away from my house, while I prayed to all the generator gods to keep the machine working.”

So what’s a thoughtful traveler to do? “There will always be areas that recuperate faster than others: visit those,” suggests Targa. “Locals will always welcome visitors, especially if it’s a destination that relies on tourism, but you have to be mindful, respectful and show some empathy, especially if the destination has been through a traumatizing event.”

Carmen Teresa Targa, Condado Travel

Locals will always welcome visitors, especially if it’s a destination that relies on tourism, but you have to be mindful, respectful and show some empathy, especially if the destination has been through a traumatizing event.

I wanted to post about my trip to Marrakesh to show what was possible, what things people could do on the ground with a positive message. I decided to edit a Reel about my sidecar and motorcycle tour La Mamounia organized with Marrakesh Insiders, giving my followers a chance to see for themselves that the streets in and around the medina were clean. One thing I did not get to do: experience the Atlas Mountains, where critical relief efforts were underway, yet some properties, miraculously, were getting on their feet. At Sir Richard Branson’s Kasbah Tamadot , a retreat just one hour outside of Marrakesh, many in the community lost their homes and there was significant damage to the main building. The Berber Tents, however, were unharmed; to enable employment, the hotel kept (and is keeping) those tents open — with 20% of the proceeds going to the E ve Branson Foundation . There were also suggestions regarding supplies (warm clothes, craft kits for kids) and voluntourism activities (trash clean up, harvesting local fruits) for those willing to make the trip. Big picture: reach out to your hotel to see if voluntourism is an option, or at the very least, if there is a list of suggested organizations accepting donations.

As sad as it is to contemplate, it’s likely we’ll see another version of the “Do I stay home or go forth? When is the right time to return?” scenario play out in another destination this year. More than one. It’s hard to pinpoint an exact moment when things feel normal. But it is clear to me that tourism — if we define it as cross-cultural exchange, a listening tour with the best of intentions — can represent opportunity, hope, and survival, all at once.

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Morocco’s Marrakesh is awakening slowly from the earthquake damage

In the medina beloved by tourists, signs of recovery lie side-by-side with lasting damage.

Marrakesh, Morocco – Like everyone in Marrakesh, 39-year-old Zakaria Lamnichri was surprised when the earthquake hit six months ago.

Speaking from his stall in the centre of the city, the easy flow of his conversation interrupted by queries from browsing tourists, he recalls the tremors he experienced as the magnitude 6.9 earthquake ripped through the nearby mountains, claiming the lives of about 3,000 people.

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“The moment, for those who lived it, was horrifying. My wife and son were away in the mountains. I was here. I was terrified for them. For them, that terror lasted for days,” he said, describing how rescuers struggled to reach the small, isolated village where his family was staying and, like many in the High Atlas Mountains, accessible only by donkey or moped.

“No one expected it,” he continued. “No one knew what to do. What affected me especially was the emotional part, of seeing other people’s problems. Of rich people who were left with nothing,” he says, pausing.

“People who had children and lost them.”

While the epicentre of the earthquake may have been some 75km (47 miles) distant, the destruction that remains in the centre of Marrakesh is a testament to its destructive power. Equally, that the tourists have returned in such numbers is a testament to the enduring lure of the North African city.

However, for many of the people who live here, like those in the mountains, any sense of permanence, or confidence that the future may hold the same rewards and challenges as the past, has been lost.

History ends

Today, much of the rubble that blocked the passageways of the 12th-century medina has been cleared. However, for the houses hit the worst, like those in the Jewish district, or mellah, fields of loose rock now lie where homes once stood.

Karim Nassir’s house withstood the earthquake. But he remembers being bundled out into the dark, along with his wife and his seven-year-old son.

“It was very dark,” he recalls now, his son hanging off his leg. “But you could hear the houses falling down,” he said, describing the dust and confusion that filled the narrow lanes and alleyways that define much of the medina.

“A lot of families have changed their houses,” 27-year-old spice seller Abdul Samad says. “A lot of families have gone. It’s all over, look,” he says, pointing to the latticework of cracks and fissures that stretch out along the wall behind him.

“My family has changed house,” he says, describing how his family’s home had barely withstood the quake.

While the damage extends across much of the medina, even reaching as far as the landmark Kutubiyya Mosque, whose distinctive minaret adorns the thousands of fridge magnets on sale throughout the medina, the brunt was felt in the mellah, once home to about 70,000 ethnic inhabitants, reduced over subsequent years by emigration, war and history to a cluster of just 250.

Across the mellah, houses that had withstood the passage of generations lie in rubble, their inhabitants forced to live in storehouses and outhouses undamaged by the quake.

Everywhere, as it is across the mountains that look down upon the city, people talk of the loss of any sense of permanence, of waiting for the next earthquake that will destroy everything in a region that, historically, has known only earthquakes.

Tourists return

Inevitably, as news of the earthquake spread around the world, tourists cancelled their trips.

Tourism, representing approximately 7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), is one of the key pillars of the Moroccan economy that had been all but wiped out during the global pandemic.

For a time in September at least, it seemed like any kind of sustainable recovery would elude what was Morocco’s most visited city. But as inevitably as the tourists departed, they returned.

Despite the destruction and loss of life, 2023 proved a record year, with tourism closing 12 percent up on the previous year.

Even in February, the low season by Moroccan standards, Marrakesh’s hotels buzz with the international chatter of hikers, tourists and the curious, while the alleyways and lanes of the medina are full of those seeking a little winter sun and some culture.

“Numbers dropped by around half after the earthquake,” stallholder Nourddine Idar says from the depths of the Jewish district, the wall behind him a tapestry of imitation animal hides.

“About two weeks later, they were back,” the 26-year-old said, describing the variety of visitors that pass by his shop and peruse his goods.

Cracks line the wall opposite him.

In the courtyard of one of the mellah’s two synagogues, Brian Cox and Kayleigh Singh, both in their 20s, had just arrived the day before from the United Kingdom to scrutinise an especially confident tortoise.

“We just came to see something new,” Kayleigh says.

Jack chimes in: “We heard it’s very culturally rich and the people are very nice and welcoming, too.”

However, there is no denying that the medina remains shattered. Tourists must now snake their way past joints and buttresses to explore the medina’s inner reaches, just as residents have come to lie their washing upon the soaring wooden joints so that they can dry in the sun.

In the square, Zakaria combs through a box of welded metal fittings. “You know, coronavirus changed our [attitude to] life, the way you survive, the way you treat money, the way you think money will always be there, that your work will be there.

“You know, before corona[virus], we were too arrogant, or at least I was,” he says with a laugh. He looks out at the square, the competing stands and the bustling tourists.

“After what happened here, we realised that we were nothing. What we have now, we can lose a second,” he said. “It’s not about work any more. It’s about family, it’s about life, it’s about the future. People don’t (have to) die, you know. to lose their life.”

Should you travel to Morocco after the earthquake?

Oct 3, 2023 • 4 min read

While parts of Morocco were heavily damaged by the earthquake, the country remains most open to visitors © Alexi Rosenfeld / Getty Images

As anyone who’s visited Morocco will tell you, it’s the local people who make any trip there truly memorable.

The hospitality and kindness you experience will stay with you long after you’ve returned home. But should you be planning on a trip to the beguiling country after the devastating earthquake in September 2023?

A devastating disaster

“Despite being in shock after the quake,” says Elsewhere Morocco expert Nawfal Serhir, “the people we met when we delivered aid to villages around Taroudant were as welcoming as ever. Even though many were homeless and grieving, they still greeted us warmly with a smile.”

The 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit just after 11pm on Friday, September 8, devastating remote villages in the High Atlas Mountains , killing more than 3000 people and injuring almost twice that number. Traditional homes built of rammed earth collapsed. Concrete buildings such as shops and schools cracked and fell apart at odd angles.

The government was quick to send in heavy machinery to clear the roads so that relief could reach the villagers. Where earthmovers couldn’t proceed, helicopters dropped doctors and firemen, while soldiers went in on foot accompanied by mules carrying supplies. Local and foreign-aid agencies have delivered food and warm clothing, and Moroccans from all over the country have sent aid packages. King Mohamed VI was one of thousands who gave blood; the monarch has announced major compensation for those whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

The quake was perplexingly choosy – razing one village yet sparing another in the next valley. People affected are now living in tents, their homes too dangerous to enter. The rebuilding program is already under way, though winter is around the corner and snow is imminent.

Some 60 miles north of the earthquake’s epicenter lies the country’s premier tourist destination,  Marrakesh . A few people lost their lives in the city, some buildings were damaged, part of the walls crumbled and the minaret of a mosque lay in ruins. Some of the historic buildings in this Unesco World Heritage site are now closed while they are checked for structural problems.

Where does all this leave potential visitors? Is it all doom and gloom? Would you feel guilty having a fun holiday while people are injured or homeless? Should you even think of coming now?

The answer is a resounding yes .

In fact, come soon – as your visit is crucial to the local relief effort. There’s no need to feel guilty or to cancel your trip. Your support is vital now and you will make a valuable contribution to the economy by underpinning local jobs.

Here’s what visitors to Morocco can expect after the earthquake

• All airports are operating as normal and transport services such as trains and buses are running as normal.
• Major roads, such as the N9 through the High Atlas between Ouarzazate and Marrakesh, are clear and have not been damaged.
• Some of the historic monuments in Marrakesh such as the weaving museum Dar Si Saïd , the new Museum of Intangible Heritage , the Musée des Confluences at Dar El Bacha , the Saadian Tombs , the Bahia Palace and the Badia Palace are temporarily closed.
• There are plenty of other monuments and sights to visit, such as the lovely Jardin Secret or the almost 20 museums in the medina. Fortunately, the magnificent, newly restored Ben Youssef Medersa is still open, the souks are as inviting as ever and the evening street-food carnival on Djemaa El Fna is just as much fun.
• In the Ville Nouvelle (new city), where there was no damage, the Jardin Majorelle , Yves Saint Laurent Museum , chic boutiques, art galleries and excellent restaurants await.
• If you’re going trekking or mountain biking in the High Atlas, routes are open and safe. Local guides will put your safety first and take you on secure routes. It’s the areas around the quake’s epicenter – the villages of Moulay Brahim, Amizmiz, Ijoukak and Talaat N’Yaaqoub – that you will avoid.

Explore places in Morocco far from the earthquake epicenter

The earth trembled across a country the size of Texas on that fateful Friday night, but fortunately there has been little damage beyond the High Atlas and Marrakesh. Don’t forget the wealth of fabulous places to visit in Morocco beyond red city of Marrakesh. Fez has an ancient medina with spectacular architecture, and Chefchaouen is soaked in that charming blue hue. You can catch a thrilling wave on the coast (especially in winter), ride a camel across Saharan dunes and discover the delights of Moroccan cuisine. And there are other hiking options, such as the cedar forests and gentle slopes of the Middle Atlas and the more northerly Rif Mountains .

Wherever you are, in a city riad or a rural lodge, the resilient Moroccan people will steal your heart with that welcoming smile and glass of frothy mint tea.

How you can help

People in the mountains need warm clothes, shoes and blankets for the rapidly approaching winter weather. Buy supplies locally, then pop into Café Clock in Marrakesh as it’s a collection point for donations of any kind.

If you’re going into the mountains, ask your guide if there’s anything you could take for the people there.

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How to Help Marrakech Right Now

You might be thinking "no" to Morocco at this moment. But they need tourist dollars more than ever. And if you've never been, you are in for a treat.

Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

To go or not to go? A similar question arose last month about Maui. Was it unseemly to engage in non-essential travel to a place where lives were so tragically lost? Maui officials initially urged travelers to stay away, even from those parts of Maui unaffected by the catastrophic wildfires—but then changed their minds. Why heap economic woes, was the reasoning, upon natural and humanitarian ones? Still, for several hours, I agonized about it.

I almost couldn't bear not going. So much about Marrakech is so familiar to me. I've been there nine times already (also in Fes, Essaouira, and the Skoura oasis). The first time was for my honeymoon, which I spent mostly at La Mamounia , the grande dame of the city's hotels. There is nothing about Marrakech that I don't love and crave and look forward to: from the bustle and traditional treasures of its labyrinthine walled medina, a World Heritage Site, to the chic shops, restaurants, and galleries of its Europeanized Gueliz quarter; from the uniquely Moroccan charms of its hotels and riads ( zellige tiles, nejjarine woodwork, bowls of roses everywhere) to the sounds of dogs howling at night out on the Haouz, the tawny plain beneath the High Atlas Mountains upon which the city was founded in 1059 by the Almoravids, Morocco’s first Berber dynasty (originally as a military encampment and soon after as a walled city).

And how thrilling—at least for me it's always been—that just beyond those mountains, so gorgeously visible from Marrakech and over which camel caravans used to arrive from Timbuktu, stretches the Sahara desert. Le plus proche des pays lointains is how the French, romantically and Euro-centrically, have described Morocco's allure: "The nearest of the distant lands." Indeed.

I did cancel my flight. PURE hadn't been called off yet; but bets were on that at any moment it would be. And it was, as soon as the full extent of the tragedy—by far the worst of it unfolding in the fragile, mud-brick Berber villages of the High Atlas Mountains—became clear. To date, almost 3,000 are reported to have been killed, some 2,500 injured. (The Berbers, or Imazighen, "free people," as they prefer to be called, are the historically fiercely independent pre-Arab inhabitants of North Africa, and Morocco's largest ethnic group.)

Recovery up in those High Atlas settlements will likely take years, if not decades. But that should not stop you from traveling to Morocco—especially Marrakech. The airport is fully operating. The city itself, which lies 43 miles from the quake's epicenter in the mountains, is, with a few exceptions, essentially unscathed. Friends and colleagues who had arrived in Marrakech before the quake were rattled but unhurt.

One, who was staying at La Mamounia, reports running toward the open area around the hotel pool as soon as she realized what was happening: “The pool had a huge wave in it, the pool equivalent of a tsunami.” She and fellow hotel guests spent the night in the garden on pool loungers and towels on the ground, and were back in their rooms the next day.

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If you are nevertheless anxious about the appropriateness of traveling there, consider this: Two days after the earthquake, at a gathering of PURE attendees already in Marrakech, Hamid Bentahar, president of the Tourism Council of Marrakech, addressed those gathered with these words: "Please tell your friends that we are still here. Marrakech hasn't gone away." In other words, "please encourage people to come." By that time, most hotels were already assuring the public on their social media channels that they are fully open for business, including La Mamounia, Oberoi Marrakech , Fairmont Royal Palm , Mandarin Oriental ...the list goes on and on. A wedding took place at the Royal Mansour this past weekend, guests largely from the United States.

Bentahar's plea is wholly understandable: Many Moroccans who work in hospitality have families up in those Berber villages. And most families in the region, the city and the mountains, are affected, in one way or another, by the tourism industry. A weak tourist sector won't help farmers, guides, shopkeepers, drivers, chefs, weavers, seamstresses, leather workers, artists, craftspeople, and countless others rebuild their homes, livelihoods, and lives.

Working to do that on the ground are a number of local charitable organizations which are providing various combinations of medical supplies, food, water, shelter, transport, and counseling, and which are dependent on donor dollars. If you wish to help that way, these three orgs are on the lips of trusted friends of Morocco:

Education for All Morocco

This remarkable organization, whose work I witnessed first-hand, provides chaperoned dormitory housing near schools for young Moroccan women who, because of the remoteness of the mountain villages they call home, would otherwise have no reliable access to formal schooling. The destruction in the High Atlas makes its mission even more urgent. See also @efa_morocco.

Banque Alimentaire

Founded in 2002 in Casablanca, this food bank works with more than 200 associations across Morocco to provide food storage, transport, and delivery to communities in need.

Global Diversity Foundation

This philanthropic organization has been working in the High Atlas for more than a decade, supporting its traditional communities in a variety of ways. Among the current priorities are temporary shelter and clothing (winter is coming to the High Atlas) for those who have lost their homes and, in the longer term, finding solutions for earthquake-safe traditional home rebuilding.

If you are contemplating a trip to Morocco, now or later, I highly recommend the following travel advisors, both of whom specialize in Morocco, have deep local connections, and will organize for you everything from the best hotels to guides, restaurants, transport, and excursions: Hicham Mohammedi Alaoui of Experience Morocco (email: [email protected] ); and Michael Diamond of Cobblestone Private Travel (e-mail: michael@cobblestonprivatetravel).

Klara Glowczewska is the Executive Travel Editor of Town & Country , covering topics related to travel specifically (places, itineraries, hotels, trends) and broadly (conservation, culture, adventure), and was previously the Editor in Chief of Conde Nast Traveler magazine. 

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The National

Marrakesh tourism operators urge people to travel to Morocco after the earthquake

'more than ever we really need people to come and support us now,' says one business owner.

12 September, 2023

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After the Earthquake in Morocco, Tourists Grapple With the Ethics of Travel

Last week’s disaster raises questions that also emerged in Maui, Greece and other hard-hit places. Is the presence of tourists a hindrance? Or can visitors, and the revenue they bring in, help?

By Ceylan Yeginsu

Some of the world’s most popular tourist destinations — Turkey, Greece, Hawaii and, now, Morocco — have been ravaged by disaster this year, with earthquakes, wildfires and floods razing entire towns and villages, killing residents, and destroying or damaging cultural monuments.

The series of catastrophic events has left many tourists in a conundrum over how to respond. Those already in a country in the wake of a disaster debate whether they should stay or leave. Those with upcoming trips wonder if they should cancel. Can they and the revenue they bring in be of any real help, or will they be a burden? How appropriate is it to let tourism go on while a nation is in a state of collective mourning and rescue efforts are underway?

There are no easy answers, travel experts say. Each disaster’s impact is unique, and while travelers are advised to follow the guidance of government officials in the aftermath of such events, local communities don’t always agree on the best course of action. After the Maui wildfires destroyed much of the town of Lahaina in August, killing at least 115 people, residents on the island, which depends on tourist dollars, clashed over the decision to allow tourism to continue while locals grieved for all that was lost.

In Morocco, however, where a powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Atlas Mountains southwest of Marrakesh on Friday, killing thousands, the outlook is more unified. With the high tourism season underway and most of the destruction affecting rural areas far from tourist hot spots, many locals are eager for foreign visitors to keep coming so that they can support the economy and bring in funds for relief efforts.

“After Covid, the abandonment of tourists would be terrible for Marrakesh, where so many resources come from tourism,” said Mouna Anajjar, the editor in chief of I Came for Couscous , a local feature magazine. “Directly or indirectly, all the inhabitants are linked to this resource and would be terribly affected.”

Here’s what travelers faced with the prospect of visiting a country where devastation has struck should think about.

Is the place open for tourism?

Check official government guidance and local media reports to assess the situation on the ground. When the deadly wildfires swept through parts of Maui last month, the local authorities urged tourists to stay home . So far, the Moroccan government hasn’t issued any statements beyond the status of rescue efforts, and the country’s tourism office did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The British Foreign Office advised its citizens planning to travel to the country to check with their tour providers about any disruptions.

While the U.S. State Department has not updated its travel advisory to Morocco, it is a good idea to check the website before traveling to any country that has been struck by disaster.

Establish exactly where the disaster hit and which areas have been affected. When Greece was ravaged by wildfires in July and thousands of tourists were evacuated from the islands of Rhodes and Corfu, many tourists canceled their vacations, even those traveling to unaffected areas. The Greek tourism minister issued a response, highlighting that the majority of the country, including parts of the affected islands, remained safe for tourists.

When the earthquake struck Morocco on Friday, it was felt in many popular tourist destinations, including Marrakesh and the towns of Imsouane and Essaouira, but most of the damage is concentrated close to the epicenter in Al Haouz Province. In the immediate aftermath of the quake, most Morocco tours were canceled as operators scrambled to make critical safety assessments, making sure that all their clients and staff were accounted for and that tourists were not hindering rescue efforts.

But now, having established that the damage is localized in rural areas and following government guidance, most tours are up and running with some amended itineraries. Hotels have largely been unaffected, according to Morocco’s hotel association.

“There are areas inside the Marrakesh medina that have been damaged, some historical monuments are closed, but most areas inside the cities are totally OK to be visited,” said Zina Bencheikh, the managing director of Intrepid Travel’s Europe, Middle East and Africa operations, who was born in Marrakesh. “The majority of the country is open, with airports, schools, hotels, shops and restaurants operating as normal under the shock of the incident.”

Intrepid Travel had 600 customers in Morocco on the night of the earthquake, and only 17 have cut their trips short. TUI, Europe’s largest travel operator, said that some of its itineraries were under review, but that the majority of its guests had decided to stay on after the company carried out safety inspections and chose to support keeping Morocco open.

As a tourist, will I be a burden on local communities?

When a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey in February, Turkish Airlines, the country’s national carrier, canceled dozens of flights across the country to open up resources for rescue efforts. During the Maui wildfires, airlines also canceled flights to Hawaii so that they could use the planes to fly passengers back to the mainland. Most of West Maui is still closed to tourists but is expected to reopen on Oct. 8.

In Morocco, the hardest-hit areas in the Atlas Mountains are currently cordoned off as rescue efforts are underway, and tourists are not advised to go into those areas. But tourism activities are encouraged in other areas of the country that haven’t been affected.

Hafida Hdoubane, a guide based in Marrakesh who takes visitors on hiking and trekking excursions , urged visitors to come, arguing that the danger from the earthquake had long passed and that the authorities in Marrakesh were carefully cordoning off any buildings showing signs of damage.

She said those who called to cancel their expeditions felt uneasy about vacationing in a country that had just experienced such devastation, but that locals did not share that view. “I think it’s best to come and show that life goes on,” she said. “What a mountain tourist can do to help is come, show that they are here and that they stand in solidarity.”

Should I change my behavior?

Most locals will not expect you to, but it is important to be receptive and mindful of the mood around you.

In Maui, the sight of tourists sunbathing on the beach as rescue teams searched for survivors outraged grieving residents, setting off a social media campaign calling for them to leave.

“The people of Morocco will say don’t switch Morocco off,” said Ms. Bencheikh of Intrepid Travel.

Ángel Esquinas, the regional director of the Barceló Hotel Group, which has properties in Marrakesh, Casablanca and Fez, said there was no immediate need for tourists to cut their trips short unless they felt it necessary.

“It is absolutely acceptable for tourists to continue with their planned activities, such as going on tours, lounging by the pool or enjoying nightlife. Morocco remains a vibrant and welcoming destination,” he said. “However, we encourage visitors to be mindful of their surroundings and exercise respect for the local communities’ particular circumstances. It’s important to strike a balance between supporting the local economy and not overwhelm the community.”

Cassandra Karinsky, a co-founder of Plus-61 , a popular restaurant in Marrakesh, said she reopened a day after the earthquake to provide an environment for locals to unite at a difficult time. “We’ve had a lot of cancellations, but we’re coming together now to raise money and support our local communities and it’s starting to get busy again.”

She said the mood was more somber than usual and people were still in shock, but that tourists were mindful and respectful of locals.

“People still need to eat, and every day there’s a more optimistic atmosphere to come together to help and move forward,” she said.

What can I do to help?

Visiting a country can be a big support to disaster relief efforts, as many locals depend on tourism revenue for their livelihoods. In Morocco, tourism accounts for 7.1 percent of the gross domestic product and is a crucial source of income for low- to middle-income families. Many restaurants and hotels have started funding campaigns to help their employees and their families in the most affected areas.

You can donate to some of the aid organizations like the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies that are responding to the disaster. And Intrepid Foundation, the travel company’s charity, has begun an earthquake appeal campaign for Morocco to support efforts to provide food, shelter, clean water and medical assistance to local communities.

In Hawaii, the Hawaii Community Foundation continues to run a fund supporting the long-term needs of those affected by the wildfires.

If you are a tourist already in a country that has been hit by a disaster, consider donating blood at blood banks, which are often set up in the aftermath of natural disasters.

“We just came out of a big lunch and saw a blood donation center, and it felt like the right thing to do,” said Tony Osborne, a 52-year-old tennis coach from London who was visiting Marrakesh with his family during the earthquake. “The Moroccans have been so welcoming. I just wish we could do even more to help.”

Aurelien Breeden contributed reporting.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2023 .

Ceylan Yeginsu is a travel reporter. She was previously a correspondent for the International desk in Britain and Turkey, covering politics; social justice; the migrant crisis; the Kurdish conflict, and the rise of Islamic State extremism in Syria and the region. More about Ceylan Yeginsu

The Maui Wildfre, One Year Later

The 2023 blaze on the hawaiian island killed 102 people. it was the deadliest wildfire in america in more than a century..

Inside the Inferno: We used video evidence, data and interviews to reconstruct the day of the Lahaina wildfire , tracing the path of the blaze and revealing a cascade of failures.

Burned Out of Lahaina: A year after the historic seaside town was incinerated, thousands of residents are still trying to rebuild their lives elsewhere. Many are facing new hardships .

A Struggle to Survive : A woman who was working as a janitor in Lahaina and sending money to her family in the Philippines survived the fire. She couldn’t survive the year after .

Finding Solace in Baseball: A Little League player’s family lost almost everything in the fire. His team’s string of success this summer has represented a return to normalcy .

Preventing the Next Fire: Officials in Hawaii said they would make fire safety and preparedness improvements, but progress has been slow and costly. Here are five changes they hope to put into place .

Six Months On: Life & Tourism After Morocco’s Earthquake

I remember the first few weeks after the earthquake struck Morocco . The six months of recovery since then have been marked by hope, challenges, and, above all, the firm determination to rebuild. As Epic’s Head of Sustainability & Community and one of the team members based in Morocco, I’ve made many visits to the High Atlas Mountains in the months since the tragedy, and so I’ll provide an honest update on the progress made since my previous reflection made soon after the event.

Rebuilding lives in the High Atlas

Reconstruction efforts are underway, albeit at a pace that has exposed many fragile communities to a particularly harsh winter spent inside tents. Did you know it actually snows in the High Atlas Mountains? Ideally, the locals would have returned to rebuilt villages, but the journey has been challenging – particularly in navigating bureaucratic hurdles and decision delays. What shines through these difficulties is the unwavering determination of the people of the High Atlas, a testament to their resilience and strength.

A surge in Moroccan tourism

Despite the challenges to rebuild after the earthquake struck Morocco, it has been inspiring to see many businesses resume operations very quickly, signalling a return to normality. Soon after the earthquake, there was a surge in internal tourism . This stands as a kind testament to the Moroccan people, who did not let the earthquake deter them from enjoying their beautiful country and supporting local communities in the High Atlas.

Where can visitors explore after the earthquake?

Regional tourism promoters worked tirelessly to reassure travellers that visiting the Marrakech area was safe . Despite the earthquake, there was actually a 7% increase in international visitors in September 2023 compared to the same period last year.

In the High Atlas Mountains, we continue to work closely with our local partners to ensure our trips continue smoothly. Not everywhere was affected by the earthquake, and recently we have taken our clients to places like Imlil , Ouirgane , and even the top of Mount Toubkal , delivering the same Epic experiences we always have.

Where did the aid go?

On the aid front, I’m happy to share that most of the projects Epic supported and contributed to in the aftermath of the earthquake catastrophe have had a significant and positive impact on local communities in the High Atlas of Morocco. These projects have provided immediate relief and a glimmer of hope to the local population amidst the devastation, underscoring the value and effectiveness of our collective efforts.

At Epic, we wanted to maintain our commitment to the region. This is why we gathered a few partners, hiked to one of the affected communities in Al Haouz , and co-organised a beautiful give-back day in which we distributed winter packs to help the families endure the cold nights in the mountains. We also contributed to building part of the village’s gîte . This local guesthouse will provide work opportunities for this village.

Once again, I want to thank each of you who has contributed to the recovery efforts thus far. Your generosity and compassion have made a tangible and meaningful impact. If you wish to continue your contribution, join us in our continuous support of one of the non-profit organisations in the region that we trust, Afoulki Pour Les Femmes , helping them further their crucial work in providing direct help to the isolated communities in Al Haouz.   

Hope for the future

Looking ahead, there’s still much work to be done rebuilding after the earthquake in the High Altas, but there’s also reason to be optimistic. The journey to recovery may be long and arduous. Still, with continued solidarity and perseverance, we can rebuild stronger than before . As we navigate the path forward, we will keep our commitment to supporting the people of Al Haouz through our work and continuous support. After all, they have been a big part of the spirit of what we do and who we are.

Nuno Veloso – Head of Sustainability & Community

Nuno leads our community and sustainability commitments, considering the positive impact that Epic can have by giving back to local communities and managing the environmental and social impact of travel. Based in Morocco, Nuno has years of experience consulting with impact-driven organisations internationally, helping them create and implement strong, forward-looking plans. Nuno works closely with communities in Morocco and has the most up-to-date knowledge of the earthquake’s impact on the High Atlas Mountains, which struck in September 2023.

If you’d like to plan a trip to the High Atlas Mountains or other parts of Morocco, reach out to our team at [email protected]

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Visiting Morocco after the earthquake showed this traveller the power of travel

When Craig heard the news that an earthquake had struck Morocco just a week before he was due to travel there, he questioned whether going ahead with his trip was the right thing to do.  

Craig Sharpe and his wife Sadie had always wanted to visit Morocco to see Marrakech and visit the Sahara especially. So back in January 2023, they put the wheels in motion and booked Intrepid’s 13-day Morocco Uncovered trip for mid-September.  

On the morning of September 9th, Craig woke up at home in Cornwall, England, to a message from a friend with a link to a news report of an overnight earthquake in Morocco. The 6.8-magnitude quake had damaged buildings in Marrakech and destroyed rural villages, killing nearly 3000 people.  

Craig flipped on the TV to learn more and was immediately struck with feelings of sadness for the people of Morocco , but he also felt a sense of uncertainty and unease. With his trip only a week away, would it go ahead? Should it? 

‘I reached out to a few Morocco travel Facebook groups to get some perspective on whether it was the right time to travel to a country that was experiencing such loss,’ he says. ‘The general consensus was that not travelling could be damaging to the economy and the livelihoods of the Moroccans that work in the tourism industry.’

Morocco has just faced a natural disaster – we don’t want to follow it with an economic disaster. If tourism dries up in Morocco, it will be catastrophic.

The team at Intrepid felt much the same way. After confirming that the more than 770 travellers, guides and staff on the ground were safe, Intrepid made the decision to cancel trips for four days. They worked to understand the scope of the quake’s damage, while also navigating a deep understanding of the vital role tourism plays in Morocco.  

As Intrepid leader Brahim Hanaoui told Adventure.com , ‘Morocco has just faced a natural disaster – we don’t want to follow it with an economic disaster. If tourism dries up in Morocco, it will be catastrophic.’

The impact of the earthquake was quite localised, with much of the damage in the High Atlas Region. The Intrepid team in Morocco rerouted trips where necessary and the majority resumed on September 13th.  

Craig and Sadie landed at the airport in Marrakech on the 17th and hopped onto a private transfer to Casablanca to start their trip. That evening, they met their leader Balmekki (Mekki for short) and their fellow travellers who hailed from the United States and Australia.  

Mekki explained that the only modification to their itinerary would be a change to their accommodation in Marrakech at the end of the trip. Because the riad originally booked was in an area of the city’s medina that had experienced some damage, the group was moved to a hotel outside the medina while the riad was being assessed.  

From Casablanca, they travelled through Meknes, Chefchauouen, Fes and into the Sahara. Along the way, they witnessed how daily life was moving forward. In Chefchauouen, Mekki led the group through the blue-washed medina before Craig and Sadie capped their evening watching the sunset from their hotel balcony as a call to prayer rang out. In the Sahara, the group travelled by camel to a campsite where they slept under the stars. ‘It’s these experiences that make me want to travel,’ Craig reflects.  

Everywhere they went, the group’s trip leader made all the difference. ‘Mekki was everything you want from a leader – patient, passionate and funny. He was able to adapt the tour to add in extra experiences through personal contacts of his,’ Craig explains.  

‘As Mekki was originally from a nomadic family, we got an opportunity to visit a nomadic woman who showed us around her home in the Middle Atlas Mountains. Mekki was even happy to share personal stories about his life.’ Craig adds that at a time when we need to understand and connect with the people of Morocco, these experiences were invaluable.  

Craig says he didn’t see the impact of the earthquake until they travelled across the Atlas Mountains past damaged villages and displaced residents living in temporary tents. This is the area where two partners of The Intrepid Foundation are working to provide relief, funded in part by the generous donations of Intrepid travellers.  

Within 12 hours of the foundation launching an appeal for funds to support these groups, donors had contributed over $100,000 AUD, which Intrepid matched dollar-for-dollar. At the time of publication, that total had surpassed half a million dollars, much of it coming from past travellers to the country whose own experiences there, similar to Craig’s, compelled them to contribute. All of these funds are being directed to Education for All and the High Atlas Foundation , non-profits providing food, shelter, water, communications and medical support to affected communities. 

As Craig’s trip drew to a close in Marrakech, he says that while the impact of the earthquake could be felt, the city still buzzed. ‘Djemaa el-Fnaa came alive in the evening,’ he recalls of the medina’s main square. 

In the end, did he feel it was right to go ahead with his trip? 

‘Our decision to travel to Morocco was absolutely the right one,’ he says. ‘Everyone was welcoming and happy to share their country with us.’

Thousands of Moroccans rely on tourism to make a living, and by not visiting Morocco, these are the people that will suffer. Please go. Enjoy everything Morocco has to offer: stunning landscapes, amazing architecture, delicious food and genuinely welcoming people.’

Craig travelled on Intrepid’s 13-day Morocco Uncovered trip, one of over 30 trips in Morocco . To learn more about itinerary adjustments in Morocco, view our Travel Alerts . The Intrepid Foundation continues to raise funds to support the relief efforts of their partners on the ground. If you can, donate now .  

Feeling inspired?

Heather Kang

Heather Kang is Intrepid's global content manager and lives in the forest in Canada with her husband, two kids and two cats. She has visited over 35 countries but still likes Canada the most.

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Morocco travel advice: Is it safe to travel to Marrakech right now?

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The death toll is rising following a catastrophic earthquake in Morocco late at night on Friday 8 September. More than 2,800 people have been killed and injured after the 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck.

The epicentre was about 70km (43 miles) southwest of Marrakech – the fourth-biggest city in Morocco, and by far the most popular draw for international visitors.

Thousands of British holidaymakers are in the area, with many thousands more booked to go there in the coming weeks and monthsr. This is the travel picture.

How many British holidaymakers are in the vicinity?

The Independent calculates from flight data that around 5,000-8,000 UK holidaymakers are in the Marrakech area. Many are staying in the ancient heart of the city, or in modern hotels on the outskirts.

Trekking in the Atlas mountains is also popular, particularly in autumn when temperatures start to drop.

Is Marrakech airport still open and operating?

Yes: even in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, Marrakech Menara airport continued to operate normally. A handful of flights were cancelled, and airlines including British Airways and easyJet deployed larger aircraft in order to accommodate passengers who wanted to come home early.

All other airports in Morocco are also running normally. The main holiday locations, including Agadir and Essaouira, are unaffected.

What does the Foreign Office advise?

The official travel advice from the UK government has not changed since the day after the earthquake. It says: “Travellers wishing to change their flight plans should liaise direct with their tour operators or airline companies.

“If you are planning to travel to Morocco imminently we advise you check with your accommodation provider/tour operator to confirm arrangements before departure in case of disruption or damage resulting from the earthquake.

“If you are trying to get in touch with a family member or a friend or the FCDO to share updates, be aware that telephone networks in Morocco are subject to outages. Should you require consular assistance please call the British Embassy Rabat +212 (0) 537 63 33 33 and select the menu option for consular services, or call the FCDO +44 (0) 207 008 5000.”

What are the options for British travellers who want to leave the area?

The general assumption is that they wlll travel home as planned. British Airways is allowing anyone booked to fly from Marrakech to London up to 24 September to travel earlier if they wish, and if space is available.

Passengers on easyJet are told: “If you are scheduled to travel to or from Morocco in the next few days and wish to discuss your booking please contact our customer service team.” The number to call is +44 330 551 5151.

I am booked to travel to the Marrakech area imminently. Can I cancel?

Many people are in this position: not wishing to put additional strain on a location enduring a humanitarian crisis; uncomfortable about going on holiday to a scene of such tragedy; or concerned about harm from aftershocks.

More seismic activity will continue. The US Geological Survey says: “It’s likely that smaller aftershocks in the region ... will continue to be felt for weeks to come. In some cases, there may be strong aftershocks.”

Yet in the aftermath of the earthquake, tourism is functioning normally. Tui is selling holidays in Marrakech for immediate departure.

British Airways is allowing postponements if you are booked to travel any day up to 24 September; customers booked on BA Holidays can switch destination subject to any price increase.

Booked easyJet passengers due to travel in the next few days may be be offered flexibility allowing them to postpone or to change destinations.

The presumption is that almost all other holidays will go ahead as normal.

But are all the hotels still open?

Almost all of them. The main exceptions: trips based at specific properties which are currently unable to receive guests due to the earthquakes, such as those in the Atlas Mountains.

Kasbah Tamadot, Sir Richard Branson’s property in the mountains, is telling guests: “Our primary concern at this time is ensuring the safety and welfare of our team, their families and our guests, as well as the local communities.

“We are currently assessing the impact of the earthquake on our beloved Kasbah Tamadot and we are temporarily closing the property whilst we inspect the damage and we will not be taking any new bookings until November 2023.

“Guests unable to stay have been offered alternatives stays at our other Virgin Limited Edition properties.”

Mike McHugo, founder of the luxury lodge Kasbah du Toubkal, has closed the property until further notice. But he told The Independen t that tourism will resume quickly in the region : “Life needs to go back to normal, which it will. They will rebuild and come back.”

I don’t believe I will be able to have a safe and enjoyable holiday. What are my rights?

If you are really concerned about your trip, the first line of action will be to contact your travel company and ask if you can switch or postpone it.

You are most unlikely to be able to claim on travel insurance. Travel insurers will treat a last-minute cancellation or a no-show as “disinclination to travel” and will not reimburse you for losses.

The only exception is if you can demonstrate the place you intended to stay and/or explore is inaccessible.

Is Morocco an earthquake-prone area?

Not especially, but when they occur they tend to be deadly. The most devastating was in Agadir in 1960, when between 12,000 and 15,000 people died. The town has now been rebuilt and is a popular resort.

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Should Groups Avoid Morocco After Deadly Earthquake?

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A 6.8-magnitude earthquake, the strongest in over a century, hit Morocco on Friday. The disaster has killed at least 2,000 and injured 2,400, leaving in its wake a humanitarian crisis of massive proportions.

The epicenter of the earthquake was 50 miles from the city of Marrakesh in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Marrakesh was spared for the most part, although some historic buildings were damaged.

Experiential Travel Show Cancelled

The decision to cancel a conference is never an easy one to make. But as the death toll continues to rise, Pure Life Experience organizers canceled their experiential travel show set for September 10 – 13.

Serge Dive , CEO and founder of This Is Beyond, the events company that orchestrates Pure Life, said the team had assessed safety conditions before deciding the best way forward in light of the natural disaster.

“My intent is to respect all of your decisions while doing what is right for those affected in Morocco, our own community, and the fabric of the local tourism,” said Dive. He expressed concern about the inappropriateness of planned events amid the devastation.

Although several international flights were canceled, tourists continued to arrive in Marrakesh. This didn’t sway Dive’s decision. Attendees can receive a credit for next year’s event, although the company does not know if its losses will be covered by insurance.

The reaction to the cancellation was resoundingly positive. Many posted messages of gratitude on Dive’s Instagram, applauding the decision to put care and empathy ahead of business. For those who were already on the ground, Dive and his team orchestrated a community-driven relief effort.

Community service was part of the original agenda, and its partner charity, Education for All, was already slated to get a donation.

Development Conference Postponed

The Center for Global Development was set to hold a conference in the coastal city of Rabat. It has opted to postpone the event. “Due to the recent and tragic earthquake in Morocco’s High Atlas region, this conference has been postponed. Our deepest sympathies are with all those affected, and we’ll share new information on this page about a rescheduled event soon,” its website states. 

Rogerio Studart, a senior fellow at CEBRI and GFCC, learned about the postponement on his way to the airport. “Personally, I am deeply saddened by the tragedy, especially by the loss of lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable,” he said. “I also believe the organizers made the right decision. Even though the meeting was focused on a very important topic and would have brought benefits to Morocco, now is not the time to dedicate time and resources to these activities. This is the moment to focus on saving lives and planning for reconstruction.”

World Bank Meeting Forges Ahead

Some conferences are going ahead as planned. The 2023 annual meeting of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund is set to go ahead on October 9-15. A statement on its website offered condolences and support to the Moroccan government. It also confirmed the current itinerary.

As the crisis settles, tourism and group business will take on added importance as the economic impact will be vital. Take the deadly fire in Maui in August. A few weeks later, Hawaii Tourism Authority execs and the governor urged travelers and meeting groups to return. The boost travelers bring to the local economy is much needed, said the governor in a statement.

Tags: cancelation , crisis , Morocco

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New study reveals devastating power and colossal extent of a giant underwater avalanche off the Moroccan coast

An international research team has mapped a giant underwater avalanche which took place nearly 60,000 years ago in the agadir canyon.

New research by the University of Liverpool has revealed how an underwater avalanche grew more than 100 times in size causing a huge trail of destruction as it travelled 2000km across the Atlantic Ocean seafloor off the North West coast of Africa.

In a study publishing in the journal Science Advances (and featured on the front cover) , researchers provide an unprecedented insight into the scale, force and impact of one of nature's mysterious phenomena, underwater avalanches.

Dr Chris Stevenson, a sedimentologist from the University of Liverpool's School of Environmental Sciences, co-led the team that for the first time has mapped a giant underwater avalanche from head to toe, which took place nearly 60,000 years ago in the Agadir Canyon.

Their analysis reveals the event, which started as a small seafloor landslide about 1.5 km 3 in volume, grew over 100 times in size picking up boulders, gravel, sand and mud as it travelled through one of the largest submarine canyons in the world before travelling a further 1600km across the Atlantic Sea floor.

The avalanche was so powerful that it eroded the entire 400 km length of the canyon and several hundred metres up the sides -- about 4500 km 2 in total -- and was so strong it carried cobbles more than 130m up the side of the canyon.

Unlike a landslide or snow avalanche, underwater avalanches are impossible to see and extremely difficult to measure. However, they are the primary mechanism for moving material such as sediments, nutrients and pollutants across the surface of the earth and present a significant geohazard to the seafloor infrastructure such as internet cables.

The research team analysed more than 300 core samples from the area taken during research cruises over the last 40 years. This, alongside seismic and bathymetry data, enabled them to map out the giant avalanche.

Dr Stevenson said: "This is the first time anyone has managed to map out an entire individual underwater avalanche of this size and calculate its growth factor."

"What is so interesting is how the event grew from a relatively small start into a huge and devastating submarine avalanche reaching heights of 200 meters as it moved at a speed of about 15 m/s ripping out the sea floor and tearing everything out in its way.

"To put it in perspective: that's an avalanche the size of a skyscraper, moving at more than 40 mph from Liverpool to London, which digs out a trench 30 m deep and 15 km wide destroying everything in its path. Then it spreads across an area larger than the UK burying it under about a metre of sand and mud."

Dr Christoph Bottner, a Marie-Curie research fellow at Aarhus University in Denmark, who co-led the team, said "We calculate the growth factor to be at least 100, which is much larger compared to snow avalanches or debris flows which only grow by about 4-8 times. We have also seen this extreme growth in smaller submarine avalanches measured elsewhere, so we think this might be a specific behaviour associated with underwater avalanches and is something we plan to investigate further."

Professor Sebastian Krastel, head of Marine Geophysics at Kiel University and chief scientist aboard the cruises that mapped the canyon, added: "Our new insight fundamentally challenges how we view these events. Before this study, we thought that big avalanches only came from big slope failures. But now, we know that they can start small and grow into extremely powerful and extensive giant events.

"These findings are of enormous importance for how we try and assess their potential geohazard risk to seafloor infrastructure like internet cables that carry almost all global internet traffic, which are critical to all aspects of our modern societies."

The most recent cruises mapping the Agadir Canyon were led by the Institute of Geosciences, Kiel University, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research and GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Germany. A suite of archive core data was analysed from the British Ocean Sediment Core Repository at NOCS Southampton, which was collected aboard NERC ships over the past 40 years.

• Snow and Avalanches
• Oceanography
• Natural Disasters
• Lost Treasures
• Early Climate
• Origin of Life
• Gulf Stream
• Underwater explosion
• Hurricane Katrina
• 1993 North American storm complex
• 2005 Atlantic hurricane season
• Effect of Hurricane Katrina on Mississippi

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Liverpool . Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

• Christoph Böttner, Christopher J. Stevenson, Rebecca Englert, Mischa Schönke, Bruna T. Pandolpho, Jacob Geersen, Peter Feldens, Sebastian Krastel. Extreme erosion and bulking in a giant submarine gravity flow . Science Advances , 2024; 10 (34) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adp2584

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