Under land 41 kilometer from Gelemso in Ethiopia, a shallow M4.9 earthquake occurred in the evening of Sunday October 6th, 2024.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Ethiopia, 41 kilometer (25 mi) north-northwest of Gelemso 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: | 41 km NNW of Gelemso, Oromiya, Ethiopia. Coordinates 9°7'43"N 40°19'15"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.9 Detected by 65 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.069 . |
| 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. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Ethiopia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Gelemso in Oromiya, Ethiopia. Gelemso is located 41 kilometer (25 mi) north-northwest of the epicenter.
Major cities near this earthquake: Addis Ababa is located 173 km to the west. Nazrēt is located 133 km to the west-southwest. Dire Dawa is located 177 km to the east-northeast.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 41 km (25 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Gelemso Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 51 km (32 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Metahāra Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 57 km (35 mi) ESE from epicenter |
Bedēsa Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 60 km (37 mi) E from epicenter |
Āsbe Teferī Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 102 km (63 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Abomsa Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 106 km (66 mi) NW from epicenter |
Debre Birhan Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 133 km (83 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Nazrēt Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 137 km (85 mi) SW from epicenter |
Wenjī Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 145 km (90 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Mojo Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 153 km (95 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Bishoftu Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 173 km (107 mi) W from epicenter |
Addis Ababa Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. |
| 177 km (110 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Dire Dawa Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. |
| 183 km (114 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Kemisē Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 189 km (117 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Fichē Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 189 km (117 mi) W from epicenter |
Sebeta Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 198 km (123 mi) E from epicenter |
Harar Harari, Ethiopia. |
| 200 km (124 mi) W from epicenter |
Genet Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 221 km (137 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ziway Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 224 km (139 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Gebre Guracha Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 225 km (140 mi) S from epicenter |
Ginir Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 226 km (140 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Kombolcha Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 232 km (144 mi) N from epicenter |
Batī Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 235 km (146 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Desē Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 238 km (148 mi) S from epicenter |
Goba Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 243 km (151 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Butajīra SNNPR, Ethiopia. |
| 257 km (160 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Āsasa Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 267 km (166 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Waliso Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 269 km (167 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Dodola Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 272 km (169 mi) W from epicenter |
Hāgere Hiywet Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 273 km (170 mi) E from epicenter |
Jijiga Somali, Ethiopia. |
| 275 km (171 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Bichena Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 286 km (178 mi) SW from epicenter |
Shashemenē Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 298 km (185 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Asaita Āfar, Ethiopia. |
Shaking reported by 157 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 157 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: 142 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.
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).This is an unusually powerful earthquake
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 September 27th, 2024, when a 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 33 km (21 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck on January 27th, 2017.
In total, 2 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.9 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 5 years.
Tsunami very unlikely
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 4.9. 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 22/10/24 18:48 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000nwx4
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241006_0000149
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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