M4.8 Earthquake 14 km NW of Āwash, Ethiopia — December 31, 2024
2024-12-31 19:18:38 UTC (2024-12-31) · approx. 10:18 PM UTC+3 local
Felt by 12 people across nearby locations.
On December 31, 2024 at 19:18 UTC, a magnitude 4.8 shallow crustal earthquake struck 14 km NW of Āwash, Ethiopia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 9.0825°, 40.0771°. This earthquake was detected by 89 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 360, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.8 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 239 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.2 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 12 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
40.0771°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Āwash, Ethiopia?
The magnitude 4.8 earthquake that struck 14 km NW of Āwash, Ethiopia on December 31, 2024 at 19:18 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 9.0825°, 40.0771°, which is 14 km NW of Āwash, Ethiopia.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.8 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000pgpw). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, December 31, 2024). M4.8 Earthquake 14 km NW of Āwash, Ethiopia — December 31, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000pgpw/