Shallow M5.3 Earthquake hit near Metahāra in Ethiopia on Wednesday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 8th, 2025. Last updated January 9th, 2025.

A shallow and significant Magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck under land 48 kilometer from Metahāra in Ethiopia deep in the night of Wednesday January 8th, 2025.

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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:	Jan 8, 2025 03:53AM (Addis Ababa Time) - Jan 8, 2025 00:53 Universal Time.
Location:	48 km NE of Metahāra, Oromiya, Ethiopia. Coordinates 9°11'56"N 40°14'9"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.3 Detected by 10 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.098 .
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 . 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 165 km to the west. Nazrēt is located 129 km to the southwest. Dire Dawa is located 184 km to the east-northeast.

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

Overview of nearby places

Shaking reported by 9 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 9 people have reported shaking in 3 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: 6 people.
• Āsbe Teferi, Oromia, Ethiopia: 2 people.
• Debre Zeyit, Oromia, Ethiopia: 1 person.

11 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 11 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 21 hrs later 10 km (6 mi) west of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 13 smaller foreshocks. A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 16 hrs earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

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.

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 4th, 2025, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 32 km (20 mi) further north-northwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 3 earthquakes 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 3 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

Sources

Last updated 09/01/25 11:28 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000pihw
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250108_0000015
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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