The Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, in partnership with the National Center for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST) organized a national post-earthquake conference, to debate crucial and timely issues relating to the seismology of Morocco’s regions.
The national conference, held under the theme “The institutional and scientific aspects of geophysics and seismology in Morocco: achievements and prospects,” brought together researchers and experts in the fields of geophysics, seismology, sociology and economics, and focused on recent advances in geo-dynamics, tomography, tectonics and spatial remote sensing. Its aim is to explore solutions for reducing and preventing seismic risks in Morocco and other regions.
Given its holistic scope, the conference looked in particular at earthquake-related sociological and economic issues, in view of their inescapable importance for the post-crisis phase of rebuilding and building resilience in the territories concerned.
In this respect, CNRST Director Jamila El Alami commented: “We are organizing today the first national post-earthquake conference, which unfortunately struck our Al Haouz region in a terrible way, to federate skills and specialists in geophysics, geology and seismology, because the disciplines involved in the science of earthquakes are many and varied, so everyone is working on their own.
“The aim of this conference is to come up with recommendations for advancing scientific research in the field of earthquakes worldwide, in general, but in Morocco in particular,” she explained in a statement to MoroccoLatestNews.
Minister Abdellatif Miraoui stated that the meeting “brings together all the key players in the fields of seismology and geophysics, as well as geology and astronomy. We have excellent researchers who are often in different places, cities or universities”.
In a statement to MoroccoLatestNews, the Minister emphasized that the main aim of the meeting is to assess and understand all the physical phenomena that have occurred.
In addition, it provides an opportunity for all Moroccan researchers, whether in Morocco or abroad, to meet and collaborate with a view to establishing a national institute bringing together the fields of geophysics, geology and astronomy.
This is to enable systemic work within this national institute, which will focus, among other institutes, on national priorities.
“I would like to thank all the organizers and participants. We have the Moroccans of the world taking part too. We have also asked international experts to contribute their skills and knowledge”, he added, noting that the establishment of this institute is a vision that will facilitate international exchanges and collaboration with other international institutes such as those in Japan and Turkey, as well as all European and American countries.
When it comes to predicting earthquakes, Miraoui asserts that it is still very complex to anticipate this type of natural disaster. However, it is possible to understand and anticipate reactions, as well as take measures to better understand the movements and physical phenomena involved.
“I think we have great hope, with artificial intelligence and data science, that mankind will eventually be able to define models that will enable us to anticipate and prevent,” concluded the Minister.