M5.0 Earthquake 35 km N of Āwash, Ethiopia — January 4, 2025
2025-01-04 20:05:45 UTC (2025-01-04) · approx. 11:05 PM UTC+3 local
Felt by 20 people across nearby locations.
On January 4, 2025 at 20:05 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 35 km N of Āwash, Ethiopia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 9.2988°, 40.1365°. This earthquake was detected by 104 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 393, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.7 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 20 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
40.1365°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Āwash, Ethiopia?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 35 km N of Āwash, Ethiopia on January 4, 2025 at 20:05 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 9.2988°, 40.1365°, which is 35 km N of Āwash, Ethiopia.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.0 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000phw1). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, January 4, 2025). M5.0 Earthquake 35 km N of Āwash, Ethiopia — January 4, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000phw1/