M5.0 Earthquake 14 km N of Metahāra, Ethiopia — January 23, 2025
2025-01-23 05:22:53 UTC (2025-01-23) · approx. 8:22 AM UTC+3 local
Felt by 1 person across nearby locations.
On January 23, 2025 at 05:22 UTC, a magnitude 5.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck 14 km N of Metahāra, Ethiopia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 9.0286°, 39.9173°. This earthquake was detected by 113 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 385, 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 1 citizen response 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
39.9173°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Metahāra, Ethiopia?
The magnitude 5.0 earthquake that struck 14 km N of Metahāra, Ethiopia on January 23, 2025 at 05:22 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 9.0286°, 39.9173°, which is 14 km N of Metahāra, 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: us6000plrr). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, January 23, 2025). M5.0 Earthquake 14 km N of Metahāra, Ethiopia — January 23, 2025. Retrieved April 8, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000plrr/