A shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake struck in the Gulf Of Aden 197 kilometer from Mukalla, Yemen in the early morning of Thursday March 20th, 2025. Somalia is also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the Gulf Of Aden, 136 kilometers (84 mi) off the coast of Yemen, 197 kilometer south-southwest of Mukalla in Muhafazat Hadramaout. 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 20, 2025 06:56AM (Mogadishu Time) - Mar 20, 2025 03:56 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 197 km SSW of Mukalla, Muhafazat Hadramaout, Yemen. Coordinates 12°48'60"N 48°43'53"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 12 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.089 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Somalia and Yemen are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.
Located 177 kilometer (110 mi) north-northwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Bosaso (Gobolka Bari, Somalia) 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 |
|---|---|
| 177 km (110 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Bosaso Gobolka Bari, Somalia. |
| 194 km (121 mi) SE from epicenter |
Qandala Gobolka Bari, Somalia. |
| 197 km (122 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Mukalla Muhafazat Hadramaout, Yemen. |
| 281 km (175 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ataq Shabwah, Yemen. |
| 286 km (178 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Ceerigaabo Sanaag, Somalia. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
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).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 December 5th, 2023, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 145 km (90 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck on June 3rd, 2023.
In total, 7 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 year.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so 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 | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | 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 24/03/25 03:08 (). 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 us6000pzw2
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250320_0000043
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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