M5.3 Earthquake 12 km WNW of Āwash, Ethiopia — January 8, 2025
2025-01-08 00:53:28 UTC (2025-01-08) · approx. 3:53 AM UTC+3 local
Felt by 11 people across nearby locations.
On January 8, 2025 at 00:53 UTC, a magnitude 5.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 12 km WNW of Āwash, Ethiopia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 9.0271°, 40.0639°. This earthquake was detected by 101 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 437, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.7 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 11 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
40.0639°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Āwash, Ethiopia?
The magnitude 5.3 earthquake that struck 12 km WNW of Āwash, Ethiopia on January 8, 2025 at 00:53 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 9.0271°, 40.0639°, which is 12 km WNW of Āwash, Ethiopia.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.3 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000pihw). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, January 8, 2025). M5.3 Earthquake 12 km WNW of Āwash, Ethiopia — January 8, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000pihw/