M4.9 Earthquake 13 km NNW of Āwash, Ethiopia — December 29, 2024
2024-12-29 17:10:44 UTC (2024-12-29) · approx. 8:10 PM UTC+3 local
Felt by 10 people across nearby locations.
On December 29, 2024 at 17:10 UTC, a magnitude 4.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 13 km NNW of Āwash, Ethiopia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 9.0898°, 40.1109°. This earthquake was detected by 90 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 373, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.4 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 10 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
40.1109°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.9 earthquake near Āwash, Ethiopia?
The magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck 13 km NNW of Āwash, Ethiopia on December 29, 2024 at 17:10 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 9.0898°, 40.1109°, which is 13 km NNW of Āwash, Ethiopia.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.9 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000pgbj). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, December 29, 2024). M4.9 Earthquake 13 km NNW of Āwash, Ethiopia — December 29, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000pgbj/