M5.2 Earthquake 19 km NW of Metahāra, Ethiopia — January 3, 2025
2025-01-03 14:27:16 UTC (2025-01-03) · approx. 5:27 PM UTC+3 local
Felt by 22 people across nearby locations.
On January 3, 2025 at 14:27 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 19 km NW of Metahāra, Ethiopia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 9.0119°, 39.7855°. This earthquake was detected by 70 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 427, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 951 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.3 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 22 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
39.7855°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Metahāra, Ethiopia?
The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck 19 km NW of Metahāra, Ethiopia on January 3, 2025 at 14:27 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 9.0119°, 39.7855°, which is 19 km NW of Metahāra, Ethiopia.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.2 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000phl5). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, January 3, 2025). M5.2 Earthquake 19 km NW of Metahāra, Ethiopia — January 3, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000phl5/