Unusually powerful M5.7 Earthquake struck on Saturday Night near Debre Birhan in Ethiopia.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 4th, 2025. Last updated January 8th, 2025.

Deep in the night of Saturday January 4th, 2025, an unusually powerful M5.7 earthquake hit under land 72 kilometer from Debre Birhan in Ethiopia. Roughly 36 million people may have felt this earthquake.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Ethiopia, 72 kilometer (45 mi) east-southeast of Debre Birhan in Amhara. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 8 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 4, 2025 03:52AM (Addis Ababa Time) - Jan 4, 2025 00:52 Universal Time.
Location:	72 km ESE of Debre Birhan, Amhara, Ethiopia. Coordinates 9°28'47"N 40°9'13"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 31 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.056 .
Depth:	8 km (5 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IX Violent On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
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.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 100% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 36 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 36 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

Severe shaking and likely moderate to heavy damage may have been experienced by an estimated 750 people. At VIII, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 21 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Ethiopia , around 36 million people, with impact levels up to VIII (severe shaking, likely moderate to heavy damage). In Djibouti, shaking was experienced too.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Ethiopia . Located 59 kilometer (37 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Abomsa (Amhara, Ethiopia) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Abomsa is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Addis Ababa is located 162 km to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Nazrēt is located 142 km to the southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Dire Dawa is located 188 km to the east and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VIII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 202 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 202 people have reported shaking in 18 places in 2 countries (Djibouti, 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: 164 people.
• Amibara, Afar, Ethiopia: 7 people.
• Sebeta, Oromia, Ethiopia: 5 people.
• Nazrēt, Oromia, Ethiopia: 5 people.
• Debre Birhan, Amhara, Ethiopia: 4 people.
• Debre Sīna, Amhara, Ethiopia: 4 people.
• Āwash, Afar, Ethiopia: 2 people.
• Holhol, ʿAli Sabīh̨, Djibouti: 1 person.
• Mojo, Oromia, Ethiopia: 1 person.
• Sendafa, Oromia, Ethiopia: 1 person.

19 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 19 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 24 km (15 mi) south of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 19 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 5

In the days before this main shock, 25 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit 8 hrs earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

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.

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

No earthquake of this strength has struck this region for a long time. Our data goes back 10 years, and no earthquakes measuring a magnitude of 5.7 or higher have been detected within 300 km (186 mi) of this epicenter.

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

Sources

Last updated 08/01/25 00:08 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000phrk
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250104_0000009
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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