Unusually powerful M6.0 Earthquake hit near Metahāra in Ethiopia on Friday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on February 14th, 2025. Last updated February 15th, 2025.

Under land 7 kilometer from Metahāra in Ethiopia, an unusually powerful M6.0 earthquake occurred in the evening of Friday February 14th, 2025. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 38 million people.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Ethiopia, 7 kilometer (4 mi) north-northeast 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:	Feb 14, 2025 11:28PM (Addis Ababa Time) - Feb 14, 2025 20:28 Universal Time.
Location:	7 km NNE of Metahāra, Oromiya, Ethiopia. Coordinates 8°57'23"N 39°56'2"E.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.0 Detected by 32 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.055 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe 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 68% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 98% 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 38 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 38 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

An estimated 48,050 people were exposed to level VII. At this level, very strong shaking and likely moderate damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 25 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Ethiopia .

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 7 kilometer (4 mi) north-northeast of Metahāra. Metahāra experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly VII. That level implies very strong shaking and likely moderate damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Addis Ababa is located 131 km to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Nazrēt is located 86 km to the west-southwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Dire Dawa is located 224 km to the east-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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 intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured for this earthquake is VII.

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 8 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 8 people have reported shaking in 2 places in 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:

• Metehara, Oromia, Ethiopia: 5 people.
• Addis Ababa, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia: 3 people.

Risk of aftershocks?

We monitor for foreshocks or aftershocks that have a magnitude of 2.5+ and occur within 100km (62 mi) of the epicenter of this earthquake. So far no such earthquakes have been detected.

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

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.

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 6 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 15/02/25 11:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000pdu6
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250214_0000269
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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