The epicenter offshore location, if it's confirmed by more accurate relocation works,
could corresponds to the activation of a thrust fault at the base of the continental
margin. In the southern part of the Western Mediterranean Sea, seismological and
geophysical data reveal that the Miocene normal faults of the passive margin are
re-activated as reverse faults since at least the Pliocene. In this part of northern
Africa, active faults and recent earthquakes (Orlanville, El Asnam, Constantine...)
indicate that the Compression is oriented NNW-SSE which is consistent with the focal
mechanism derived by the ETHZ. These features suggest that the most probable
fault plane is the south-east low dipping thrust plane.

Large damages are reported in Boumerdes, Thenia ...located near the Thenia fault trace.
However, no surface ruptures have been describe until now.
Field works are required to confirm if whether or not surface deformations are present.

H. Philip and S. Dominguez (Montpellier University). 23/05/2003.