Unusually powerful M5.3 Earthquake hit near Metahāra in Ethiopia on Sunday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 6th, 2024. Last updated November 20th, 2024.

An unusually powerful Magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck under land 48 kilometer from Metahāra in Ethiopia in the evening of Sunday October 6th, 2024.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Ethiopia, 48 kilometer (30 mi) north-east of Metahāra in Oromiya. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Oct 6, 2024 08:10PM (Addis Ababa Time) - Oct 6, 2024 17:10 Universal Time.
Location:	48 km NE of Metahāra, Oromiya, Ethiopia. Coordinates 9°14'3"N 40°11'20"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 21 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.068 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Impact

The US Geographic Survey (USGS) describes the impact of this earthquake as follows:

Some homes destroyed; two homes and two buildings damaged; ground cracks reported in the Awash Fentale area.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Ethiopia . Metahāra in Oromiya, Ethiopia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 48 kilometer (30 mi) north-east of Metahāra.

Major cities near this earthquake: Addis Ababa is located 160 km to the west. Nazrēt is located 127 km to the southwest. Dire Dawa is located 188 km to the east-northeast.

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place
48 km (30 mi) SW from epicenter	Metahāra Oromiya, Ethiopia.
59 km (37 mi) SE from epicenter	Gelemso Oromiya, Ethiopia.
75 km (47 mi) ESE from epicenter	Bedēsa Oromiya, Ethiopia.
76 km (47 mi) ESE from epicenter	Āsbe Teferī Oromiya, Ethiopia.
86 km (53 mi) NNW from epicenter	Abomsa Amhara, Ethiopia.
87 km (54 mi) NW from epicenter	Debre Birhan Amhara, Ethiopia.
127 km (79 mi) SW from epicenter	Nazrēt Oromiya, Ethiopia.
132 km (82 mi) SW from epicenter	Wenjī Oromiya, Ethiopia.
138 km (86 mi) WSW from epicenter	Mojo Oromiya, Ethiopia.
143 km (89 mi) WSW from epicenter	Bishoftu Oromiya, Ethiopia.
160 km (99 mi) W from epicenter	Addis Ababa Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
169 km (105 mi) NNW from epicenter	Kemisē Amhara, Ethiopia.
172 km (107 mi) WNW from epicenter	Fichē Oromiya, Ethiopia.
176 km (109 mi) WSW from epicenter	Sebeta Oromiya, Ethiopia.
186 km (116 mi) W from epicenter	Genet Oromiya, Ethiopia.
188 km (117 mi) ENE from epicenter	Dire Dawa Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.
206 km (128 mi) WNW from epicenter	Gebre Guracha Oromiya, Ethiopia.
211 km (131 mi) NNW from epicenter	Kombolcha Amhara, Ethiopia.
212 km (132 mi) E from epicenter	Harar Harari, Ethiopia.
217 km (135 mi) SW from epicenter	Ziway Oromiya, Ethiopia.
218 km (135 mi) N from epicenter	Batī Amhara, Ethiopia.
220 km (137 mi) NNW from epicenter	Desē Amhara, Ethiopia.
236 km (147 mi) WSW from epicenter	Butajīra SNNPR, Ethiopia.
240 km (149 mi) SSE from epicenter	Ginir Oromiya, Ethiopia.
248 km (154 mi) S from epicenter	Goba Oromiya, Ethiopia.
256 km (159 mi) WNW from epicenter	Bichena Amhara, Ethiopia.
256 km (159 mi) WSW from epicenter	Waliso Oromiya, Ethiopia.
258 km (160 mi) W from epicenter	Hāgere Hiywet Oromiya, Ethiopia.
261 km (162 mi) SSW from epicenter	Āsasa Oromiya, Ethiopia.
274 km (170 mi) SSW from epicenter	Dodola Oromiya, Ethiopia.
286 km (178 mi) SW from epicenter	Shashemenē Oromiya, Ethiopia.
287 km (178 mi) E from epicenter	Jijiga Somali, Ethiopia.
293 km (182 mi) NNE from epicenter	Asaita Āfar, Ethiopia.
294 km (183 mi) NNE from epicenter	Dubti Āfar, Ethiopia.
296 km (184 mi) WNW from epicenter	Debre Mark’os Amhara, Ethiopia.

Shaking reported by 158 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 158 people have reported shaking in 10 places, all within Ethiopia.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Addis Ababa, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia: 143 people.
Mojo, Oromia, Ethiopia: 3 people.
Sebeta, Oromia, Ethiopia: 3 people.
Debre Zeyit, Oromia, Ethiopia: 2 people.
Nazrēt, Oromia, Ethiopia: 2 people.
Āwash, Afar, Ethiopia: 1 person.
Dirē Dawa, Diredawa, Ethiopia: 1 person.
Gelemso, Oromia, Ethiopia: 1 person.
Metehara, Oromia, Ethiopia: 1 person.
Welenchʿītī, Oromia, Ethiopia: 1 person.

Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 1 smaller aftershock was detected. A 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 16 km (10 mi) south-southwest of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.3	Oct 6, 2024 08:10PM (Addis Ababa Time)	-
Aftershock	M 4.2	1 day later Oct 7, 2024 09:20PM (Addis Ababa Time)	16 km (10 mi) SSW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is the strongest earthquake in 8 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 27th, 2017, when a 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit 241 km (150 mi) further southwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 1 earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 10 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 20/11/24 23:38 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.