Earthquake.now

M4.7 Earthquake near Fentale, ኢትዮጵያ — 16 January 2025

A light earthquake of magnitude 4.7 was recorded near Fentale, ኢትዮጵያ on , with an epicentre 4 km south-southwest of Āwash, at a focal depth of 10.0 km. It ranked as the 29th strongest of 111 earthquakes recorded in ኢትዮጵያ in the preceding 30 days.

4.7 Light

Time (UTC): 2025-01-16 20:24:27

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 4.7 (light)

Focal depth: 10.0 km (shallow)

Epicentre: 8.9445, 40.1530

Location: 4 km SSW of Āwash, Ethiopia

Country: ኢትዮጵያ

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items.

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake radiates roughly 169 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 340, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 8.9445, 40.1530 — 4 km south-southwest of Āwash. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.6 earthquake 4 km north of here on 23 January 2025.

Why the 10 km depth matters

At 10 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M4.7 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

9 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.9.

145 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.0 event near Metahāra on 14 February 2025. This M4.7 event released about 89 times less energy than that event.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the January 2025 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in ኢትዮጵያ during January 2025. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in ኢትዮጵያ

All recorded earthquakes in ኢትዮጵያ →

Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 4 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong is a magnitude 4.7 earthquake?

Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items. A magnitude 4.7 earthquake radiates roughly 169 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Fentale?

At 10 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.

Was the M4.7 earthquake near Fentale felt?

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.

What does the USGS tsunami field mean for this event?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M4.7 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

Have there been aftershocks?

9 further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the seven days after this event, the largest of them magnitude 4.9.

How often do earthquakes happen near Fentale?

145 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 6.0 event near Metahāra on 14 February 2025. This M4.7 event released about 89 times less energy than that event.