Earthquakes in Ethiopia — Page 2

No events have been recorded in Ethiopia in the past 30 days, and 15 of the events on record reached magnitude 5 or above — the level at which damage becomes a genuine concern for vulnerable construction. Activity here is almost entirely crustal, which means shaking at the surface is strong relative to the magnitudes involved.

164 earthquakes have been recorded in Ethiopia in our catalogue, 0 of them in the past 30 days.

The average magnitude is 4.6 and the average focal depth 10 km. 164 events reached magnitude 4 or above and 15 reached magnitude 5 or above.

The strongest earthquake recorded in Ethiopia in this period was a magnitude 6.0 event near Metahāra, Ethiopia on 14 February 2025, at a depth of 10 km. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake radiates roughly 15,080 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

Locations recording the most events include Fentale (53), Misrak Awash (25), Āwash (19), Dulecha (14), Mek'ele (9).

100% of events here are shallow (under 70 km), 0% intermediate (70–300 km) and 0% deep-focus (over 300 km). Almost everything here is crustal. That is characteristic of transform faulting or continental deformation rather than subduction — and it means shaking at the surface is strong for the magnitudes involved.

By band, the catalogue holds 149 in the magnitude 4 range, 14 in the magnitude 5 range, 1 in the magnitude 6 range.

The busiest single day was 30 December 2024, with 11 recorded events.

No event in this record carries a USGS link to NOAA tsunami information.