Under land 47 kilometer from Ādīgrat in Ethiopia, a shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake occurred in the morning of Sunday March 2nd, 2025. Another country near the epicenter is Eritrea.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Ethiopia, 47 kilometer (29 mi) east of Ādīgrat in Tigray. 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: | Mar 2, 2025 11:14AM (Addis Ababa Time) - Mar 2, 2025 08:14 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 47 km east of Ādīgrat, Tigray, Ethiopia. Coordinates 14°13'15"N 39°53'30"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 8 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.11 . |
| 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
Ethiopia and Eritrea are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Located 47 kilometer (29 mi) east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Ādīgrat (Tigray, Ethiopia) is the nearest significant population center.
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 47 km (29 mi) W from epicenter |
Ādīgrat Tigray, Ethiopia. |
| 92 km (57 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Mek'ele Tigray, Ethiopia. |
| 126 km (78 mi) W from epicenter |
Axum Tigray, Ethiopia. |
| 138 km (86 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Mendefera Debub, Eritrea. |
| 161 km (100 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Massawa Northern Red Sea, Eritrea. |
| 162 km (101 mi) NW from epicenter |
Asmara Maekel, Eritrea. |
| 164 km (102 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Maych’ew Tigray, Ethiopia. |
| 174 km (108 mi) W from epicenter |
Inda Silasē Tigray, Ethiopia. |
| 195 km (121 mi) S from epicenter |
Korem Tigray, Ethiopia. |
| 232 km (144 mi) NW from epicenter |
Keren Anseba, Eritrea. |
| 246 km (153 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Debark’ Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 247 km (153 mi) S from epicenter |
Robīt Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 266 km (165 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Barentu Gash-Barka, Eritrea. |
Shaking reported by 2 people
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 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:
- Mekʿelē, Tigray, Ethiopia: 1 person.
- Āddīgrat, Tigray, Ethiopia: 1 person.
3 Aftershocks detected
Since this main shock, 3 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hit 20 hrs later 28 km (17 mi) south-east of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
Mar 2, 2025 11:14AM (Addis Ababa Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
7 hrs later Mar 2, 2025 06:11PM (Addis Ababa Time) | 18 km (11 mi) SSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
12 hrs later Mar 2, 2025 11:38PM (Addis Ababa Time) | 14 km (9 mi) WSW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
20 hrs later Mar 3, 2025 07:37AM (Addis Ababa Time) | 28 km (17 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
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 August 1st, 2023, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 118 km (73 mi) further north-northwest. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.
In total, 2 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 5.2. 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 03/03/25 12:58 (). 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 us6000pwew
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250302_0000068
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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