Under land 66 kilometer from Mek'ele in Ethiopia, a shallow and significant MAG-5.2 foreshock occurred in the evening of Saturday October 11th, 2025. Eritrea is also near its epicenter.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Ethiopia, 66 kilometer (41 mi) north-east of Mek'ele 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: | Oct 11, 2025 07:01PM (Addis Ababa Time) - Oct 11, 2025 16:01 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 66 km NE of Mek'ele, Tigray, Ethiopia. Coordinates 13°50'2"N 39°58'27"E. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 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
2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Ethiopia and Eritrea .
Mek'ele in Tigray, Ethiopia is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 66 kilometer (41 mi) north-east of Mek'ele.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 66 km (41 mi) SW from epicenter |
Mek'ele Tigray, Ethiopia. |
| 74 km (46 mi) NW from epicenter |
Ādīgrat Tigray, Ethiopia. |
| 125 km (78 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Maych’ew Tigray, Ethiopia. |
| 139 km (86 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Axum Tigray, Ethiopia. |
| 156 km (97 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Korem Tigray, Ethiopia. |
| 171 km (106 mi) NW from epicenter |
Mendefera Debub, Eritrea. |
| 185 km (115 mi) W from epicenter |
Inda Silasē Tigray, Ethiopia. |
| 201 km (125 mi) NW from epicenter |
Asmara Maekel, Eritrea. |
| 204 km (127 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Massawa Northern Red Sea, Eritrea. |
| 205 km (127 mi) S from epicenter |
Robīt Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 237 km (147 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Debark’ Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 263 km (163 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Dubti Āfar, Ethiopia. |
| 271 km (168 mi) NW from epicenter |
Keren Anseba, Eritrea. |
| 293 km (182 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Barentu Gash-Barka, Eritrea. |
| 294 km (183 mi) S from epicenter |
Batī Amhara, Ethiopia. |
| 298 km (185 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Asaita Āfar, Ethiopia. |
Shaking reported by 13 people in 2 countries
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 13 people have reported shaking in 5 places in 2 countries (Ethiopia, Eritrea).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: 8 people.
- Āddīgrat, Tigray, Ethiopia: 2 people.
- Endasilasie, Tigray, Ethiopia: 1 person.
- Āsmara, Maekel, Eritrea: 1 person.
- Bahir Dar, Amhara, Ethiopia: 1 person.
This is likely a foreshock
This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.6 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 4.3 |
4 hrs earlier Oct 11, 2025 03:07PM (Addis Ababa Time) | 9 km (5 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock This Earthquake |
M 5.2 |
16 mins earlier Oct 11, 2025 07:01PM (Addis Ababa Time) | 11 km (7 mi) ENE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock | M 5.6 |
Oct 11, 2025 07:18PM (Addis Ababa Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.1 |
2 hrs later Oct 11, 2025 09:36PM (Addis Ababa Time) | 6 km (4 mi) SE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.8 |
2 hrs later Oct 11, 2025 09:38PM (Addis Ababa Time) | 21 km (13 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.7 |
3 hrs later Oct 11, 2025 10:30PM (Addis Ababa Time) | 6 km (3 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
5 hrs later Oct 12, 2025 12:23AM (Addis Ababa Time) | 12 km (8 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
5 hrs later Oct 12, 2025 12:41AM (Addis Ababa Time) | 6 km (4 mi) NNW from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
8 hrs later Oct 12, 2025 02:57AM (Addis Ababa Time) | 26 km (16 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 4.3 |
3 days later Oct 14, 2025 04:02PM (Addis Ababa Time) | 11 km (7 mi) NW 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.
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.
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 162 km (100 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 09/11/25 00:58 (). 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 us6000rgl9
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251011_0000253
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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