Senegal

Senegal occupies the westernmost projection of the African continent and lies on the Atlantic passive margin of the West African craton. The country's geological foundation consists of ancient Precambrian basement overlain by Cenozoic sedimentary deposits along the coast and the Cape Verde peninsula. This passive margin setting, combined with the cratonic interior, produces essentially no natural seismicity. Senegal is one of the least seismically active countries in West Africa.

The offshore Cap-Vert Basin (Dakar Basin) contains thick Cenozoic sedimentary sequences deposited in shallow to deep marine environments since the Cretaceous. These sediments are not associated with significant tectonic deformation or seismicity. The ancient Mauritanide thrust belt in northern Senegal represents a Paleozoic orogenic structure that is entirely locked and geologically inactive.

The Cap-Vert Peninsula, where the capital Dakar is located, sits on Tertiary and Quaternary volcanic rocks — a consequence of minor magmatic activity associated with the Cape Verde hotspot system. However, no historically documented volcanic activity or significant seismicity has been recorded in the Dakar area. The Cape Verde Islands themselves, though seismically more active, are several hundred kilometres offshore.

Historical records for Senegal document no earthquake of damaging [[magnitude]]. Regional networks in neighbouring countries and global seismograph networks detect no significant earthquake activity within Senegal's borders. [[seismic-wave]] signals from distant Atlantic Ridge events or Moroccan earthquakes are occasionally detected by sensitive instruments in Senegal but are imperceptible to the population. The country's seismic hazard is very low, and building codes make no provision for earthquake loading. Senegal's primary natural hazards are drought, flooding, and coastal erosion.