M4.7 Earthquake 24 km N of Metahāra, Ethiopia — December 30, 2024
2024-12-30 23:30:59 UTC (2024-12-30) · approx. 2:30 AM UTC+3 local
Felt by 5 people across nearby locations.
On December 30, 2024 at 23:30 UTC, a magnitude 4.7 shallow crustal earthquake struck 24 km N of Metahāra, Ethiopia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 9.1189°, 39.9276°. This earthquake was detected by 66 seismic stations with moderate location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 342, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.7 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 169 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.1 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 5 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
39.9276°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.7 earthquake near Metahāra, Ethiopia?
The magnitude 4.7 earthquake that struck 24 km N of Metahāra, Ethiopia on December 30, 2024 at 23:30 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 9.1189°, 39.9276°, which is 24 km N of Metahāra, Ethiopia.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.7 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000pgkb). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, December 30, 2024). M4.7 Earthquake 24 km N of Metahāra, Ethiopia — December 30, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000pgkb/