A shallow and significant M5.3 earthquake struck under land 62 kilometer from Āsbe Teferī in Ethiopia in the night of Monday February 24th, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Ethiopia, 62 kilometer (39 mi) northwest of Āsbe Teferī 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 24, 2025 02:44AM (Addis Ababa Time) - Feb 23, 2025 23:44 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 62 km NW of Āsbe Teferī, Oromiya, Ethiopia. Coordinates 9°26'46"N 40°26'10"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. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in Ethiopia . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Āsbe Teferī in Oromiya, Ethiopia. Āsbe Teferī is located 62 kilometer (39 mi) northwest of the epicenter.
Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Addis Ababa is located 191 km to the west-southwest. Dire Dawa is located 158 km to the east. Nazrēt is located 163 km to the southwest.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 62 km (39 mi) SE from epicenter |
Āsbe Teferī Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 71 km (44 mi) S from epicenter |
Gelemso Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 72 km (45 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Bedēsa Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 78 km (48 mi) NW from epicenter |
Abomsa Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 83 km (52 mi) SW from epicenter |
Metahāra Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 102 km (63 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Debre Birhan Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 154 km (96 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Kemisē Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 158 km (98 mi) E from epicenter |
Dire Dawa Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. |
| 163 km (101 mi) SW from epicenter |
Nazrēt Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 168 km (104 mi) SW from epicenter |
Wenjī Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 173 km (107 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mojo Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 178 km (111 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Bishoftu Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 185 km (115 mi) E from epicenter |
Harar Harari, Ethiopia. |
| 191 km (119 mi) W from epicenter |
Fichē Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 191 km (119 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Addis Ababa Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. |
| 197 km (122 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Kombolcha Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 199 km (124 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Batī Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 207 km (129 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Desē Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 208 km (129 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Sebeta Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 217 km (135 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Genet Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 227 km (141 mi) W from epicenter |
Gebre Guracha Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 253 km (157 mi) SW from epicenter |
Ziway Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 258 km (160 mi) S from epicenter |
Ginir Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 260 km (162 mi) E from epicenter |
Jijiga Somali, Ethiopia. |
| 260 km (162 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Asaita Āfar, Ethiopia. |
| 264 km (164 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Dubti Āfar, Ethiopia. |
| 269 km (167 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Bichena Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 271 km (168 mi) SW from epicenter |
Butajīra SNNPR, Ethiopia. |
| 275 km (171 mi) S from epicenter |
Goba Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 288 km (179 mi) W from epicenter |
Hāgere Hiywet Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 290 km (180 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Waliso Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 294 km (183 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Āsasa Oromiya, Ethiopia. |
| 299 km (186 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Robīt Amhara, Ethiopia. |
Shaking reported by 49 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 49 people have reported shaking in 6 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: 43 people.
- Debre Zeyit, Oromia, Ethiopia: 2 people.
- Debre Birhan, Amhara, Ethiopia: 1 person.
- Desē, Amhara, Ethiopia: 1 person.
- Kemisē, Amhara, Ethiopia: 1 person.
- Sendafa, Oromia, Ethiopia: 1 person.
4 Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 4 smaller aftershocks occurred. At a distance of 34 km (21 mi) west of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 days later. It measured a magnitude of 4.7
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.3 |
Feb 24, 2025 02:44AM (Addis Ababa Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
27 mins later Feb 24, 2025 03:12AM (Addis Ababa Time) | 36 km (22 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
48 mins later Feb 24, 2025 03:33AM (Addis Ababa Time) | 88 km (54 mi) SW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
1 hr later Feb 24, 2025 03:52AM (Addis Ababa Time) | 19 km (12 mi) WNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
2 days later Feb 26, 2025 10:37AM (Addis Ababa Time) | 34 km (21 mi) W 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.
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).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 February 14th, 2025, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 81 km (50 mi) further southwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.
In total, 6 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 2 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 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 15/03/25 01:28 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000pfpk
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250223_0000205
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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