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Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Evaluation and Prevention of Seismic Risk - CEPRIS
 

Address: Angle avenues des FAR et Allal El Fassi,, BP: 8027
Agdal Nations Unies, 10102 Rabat, Maroc

Tél.: 212 37 56 98 10/ 212 37 77 86 74

Fax: 212 37 56 98 11 / 212 37 77 13 34

E-mail: ceprisrba@cnr.ac.ma

Web: http://cnr.ac.ma/cepris

Creation

1995

STRUCTURE

The Local Management Committee of CEPRIS is based at the CNRST (Morocco’s National Centre for Scientific and Technical Research). The Scientific Guidance Committee deals with evaluation and coordination.

Director: Prof. Abdelaziz BENJOUAD (Acting Director)
Coordinator: Azelarab EL MOURAOUAH

Permanent staff of the Center: Aomar IBEN BRAHIM, Abdelouahad BIROUK, Mohamed KASMI, Touria EL MRABET, Latifa DASSER.

OBJECTIVES 

Seismotectonic research at regional level and evaluation of uncertain factors and seismic risk in the countries of the Western Mediterranean (Algeria, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia), in co-operation with their seismological centres and the Agreement's specialised centres, and in consultation with the Civil Defence Directorate, the ministerial departments involved in risk management and academia.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

Activities mainly focus on:

• Historical and instrumental seismicity catalogue: creation and updating of an interactive seismic database;

• Regional cartography: preparation of seismic and seismotectonic maps;

• Seismic risk: development of approaches for exploring the available historical and seismotectonic data and for evaluating current seismic risk;

• Study and evaluation of the possibility of tsunamis on the Moroccan coastline.

Training

Co-operation on the introduction at the Faculty of Sciences of Ibn Tofaïl University in Kénitra of:

• (since 1998) a doctorate in "exploration geophysics and the environment" in the Department of Geology;

• (since 2002) a Masters in "natural hazard analysis and management";

• Short courses for geophysics Masters students;

• Training for Moroccan and foreign trainees in the field of seismology;

• Training courses on the setting up, maintenance and operation of scientific seismological instruments.

At NATIONAL LEVEL

• Contribution to seismic emergency management at national level;

• Seismic auscultation of major dams for the Directorate of Hydraulic Installations

• Seismic monitoring and study of the Strait of Gibraltar region for Morocco’s SNED company, for the purposes of the plan to construct a fixed link between Africa and Europe across the Strait;

• Contribution to operations (since 2009) to renew and extend the present seismic system via a new-generation VSAT digital seismic system to provide monitoring and seismic alerts in real time. This system comprises around 50 stations, two thirds of which transmit broadband data, to prevent and reduce seismic risk and its consequences;

• Contribution to the extension of the accelerograph system set up at the sites of major structures throughout the country with a view to better planning of urban expansion in Morocco and civil engineering works;

• Contribution to the configuration, acquisition and installation of a new system of permanent GPS stations to show stresses and movements in the Earth's crust;

• Installation of tide gauges to monitor sea level in real time as a contribution to international efforts to monitor and warn of tsunamis.

AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

Contribution within UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission: plan to set up a tsunami early warning and mitigation system in the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas (NEAMTWS);

Contribution to the implementation of European Commission scientific programmes relating to seismic risk and tsunami risk, with international partners.

Research fields

• Historical seismicity and macroseismicity, instrumental seismicity, surface geology, seismotectonics and palaeoseismicity, seismic micro-zoning and seismic refraction techniques, uncertain seismic factors and seismic zoning, seismic risk, structure vulnerability and analysis, soil-structure interaction, tsunami risk.

• Discrimination of seismic signals; applications to seismic risk reduction studies.

• Monitoring of the Al Hoceima earthquake (February 2004), seismic micro-zoning of the urban centre of Sidi Bou Afif-Al Hoceima, for the Taza Urban Agency (AUT) with a view to better evaluation of the seismic risk.

• Study of geological risks in the Al-Hoceima region, particularly seismic risk and the risk of earthquake-induced landslides.

• Monitoring the activities of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

• Seismic risk reduction programme in the various regions of Morocco.

• Co-operation with the Ministry for Regional Planning, Environment, Urban Planning and Housing with a view to better management of urban areas.

Publications

Preparation of seismic catalogues relating to the Western Mediterranean:

• a catalogue of 30,000 earthquakes of a magnitude equal to or greater than 3.0 from 1900 to 2000;

• a new instrumental seismicity catalogue for Morocco covering the period 1900-2001;

• a first macroseismicity catalogue for Morocco covering the period 1931-2001.

Publication of the seismic map of Morocco: a detailed seismic map (on a scale of 1:1,500,000) for the period 1900-2001 based on a DTM [in co-operation with the National Land Registry and Cartography Agency]
 

Publication of the Proceedings of CEPRIS workshops:

• 1998 Workshop (127 pages);

• 2001 Workshop (257 pages).

PUBLICATION 2009-2011

- IBEN BRAHIM, A., EL MOURAOUAH A., KASMI M., BIROUK A., EL HAMMOUMI A., GUERAOUI K., KERROUM M. AND TOTO E. A. (2009), Strategies of preservation and prevention of Historical Medinas in Morocco, Proceedings of the International Conference on Protection of Historical Buildings, PROHITECH 09, Ed. F. M. Mazzolani, Rome, Italy, 21-24 June 2009, V. 1, p. 25-32.

- EL HAMMOUMI A., GUERAOUI K., CHERRAJ M. A., M., IBEN BRAHIM A., EL MOURAOUAH A., KASMI M., BIROUK A., KERROUM M., TOTO E. A. and HAFID M. (2009), Seismic vulnerability analysis, simulation and modeling of a foundouq in the Medina of Salé, Proceedings of the International Conference on Protection of Historical Buildings, PROHITECH 09, Ed. F. M. Mazzolani, Rome, Italy, 21-24 June 2009, V. 1, p. 787-792.

- KAABOUBEN F., BAPTISTA M. A., IBEN BRAHIM A., EL MOURAOUAH A. and TOTO E. A. (2009), On the Morocco tsunami catalogue, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 9, 1227-1236, 2009. www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/9/1227/2009/

- EL HAMMOUMI A., IBEN BRAHIM A., BIROUK A., TOTO E. A., EL MOURAOUAH A., KERROUM M., GUERAOUI K. A., KASMI M. (2009), Assessment of Seismic Vulnerability of Urban Buildings in Morocco, Int. Rev. of Phys. (IREPHY), Vol 3. N.1, February 2009, 44-48.

- EL HAMMOUMI A., IBEN BRAHIM A., EL MOURAOUAH A., TOTO E. A., KERROUM M., GUERAOUI K., CHERRAJ M., KASMI M., BIROUK A., HAFID M. AND EL HARROUNI K. (2009), Seismic Protection of Ancient Medinas in Morocco; a Study Case of Foundouk Bouâlam, International Review of Mechanical Engineering (IREME), Vol. 3, N.2, March 2009, 252-257.

- IBEN BRAHIM A., EL MOURAOUAH A., BIROUK A. AND KASMI M. (2009), Towards the Establishment of a National Tsunami Warning Center in Morocco, EMSC-Newsletter, N°23/April 2009, 17-19.

- BENDAOUI Kh., EL HAMMOUMI A., GUERAOUI K., MOHAMMED KERROUM K., ELGHACHI M., ABDELHAK GHOULI A., MOHAMMED CHERRAJ M., IBEN BRAHIM A. and EL MOURAOUAH A., (2010): Vulnerability of Buildings for a Tsunami, International Review of Mechanical Engineering (I.RE.M.E.), Vol. 4, n. 5, pp. 531 – 535.

- SAMMOUDI M., EL HAMMOUMI A., GUERRAOUI K., KERROUM M., GHOULI A., CHERRAJ M., IBENBRAHIM A., EL MOURAOUAH A., KASMI M. et BIROUK A., (2010): Application of the normative spectral method to nonlinear systems for structural seismic design: a case study, International Review of Mechanical Engineering (I.RE.M.E.), Vol. 4, n 3, pp 364 – 369.

- KOULALI A, OUAZAR D, TAHAYT A, KING R.W., VERNANT P., REILINGER R., MCCLUSKY S., MOURABIT T., DAVILA J.M., AMRAOUI N. (2011), New GPS constraints on active deformation along the Africa–Iberia plate boundary, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 308, pp. 211–217.

- ELOUMALA ONANA P. N., TOTO E. A., ZOUHRI L., CHAABANE A., EL MOURAOUAH A. and IBEN BRAHIM A. (2011) : Recent seismicity of Central High Atlas and Ouarzazate basin (Morocco), Bull Eng Geol Environ, DOI 10.1007/s10064-011-0361-z, Sprin9 pages. SpringerLink. DOI: 10.1007/s10064-011-0361-z

- EL AZREQ, M. A., A. EL HAMMOUMI, A. IBEN BRAHIM, K. GUERAOUI, A. EL MOURAOUAH, A. LBADAOUI, M. KERROUM, M. KASMI, A. BIROUK, K. EL HARROUNI (2011), Seismic Vulnerability of Traditional Earthen Buildings, International Review of Civil Engineering (IRECE), Sep. 2011 (Vol. 2 N. 5).

- SAMMOUDA, M., K. GUERAOUI, M. DRIOUICH, A. EL HAMMOUMI, A. IBEN BRAHIM, (2011), The Variable Porosity Effect on the Natural Convection in a non-Darcy Porous Media, International Review on Modelling and Simulations (Vol. 4 N. 5) - Oct 2011 - Papers (Part C).

conferences

• 2003: International meeting on the legislative aspects of the management of major natural and technological hazards in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

• 2004: International colloquy on new technologies and improving risk management, in co-operation with the University of Kenitra.