The 2016 Alboran Sea earthquake struck offshore, north northeast of Al Hoceïma, Morocco in the Strait of Gibraltar on 25 January at 04:22:02 UTC, or roughly 05:22:02 West Africa Time.

At its strongest in the Alboran Sea, the earthquake measured 6.3–6.4 on the moment magnitude scale (Mw ) at a shallow hypocenter depth of 12 km (7.5 mi).

[3][1] Assigned a maximum Modified Mercalli scale intensity of VI (Strong),[2] the earthquake caused one fatality, injuries to at least 30 persons, and moderate damage in Morocco and Spain.

Seismic activity associated with these shallow faults are characterized by their small to moderately size in magnitudes with thrust, strike-slip or normal focal mechanisms.

The most damaging earthquake in recent history occurred on 24 February 2004 when a Mw  6.4 quake struck Al Hoceïma, killing at least 628 people.

[6] Little is known about the origins of deep-focus earthquakes beneath the Alboran Sea, with theories suggesting an oceanic lithosphere is subducting to the east along the Gibraltar Arc at a near-vertical dip at depth, or some complex slab delamination processes.

[12] In Melilla, a Spanish city in North Africa, emergency services received over 200 calls from residents reporting damage to homes and buildings.