Seismic Activity in Ethiopia
Over the past 30 days, there have been 1 recorded earthquakes in this region. The largest recent earthquake was a magnitude 4.5 event near 6 km NW of Āwash, Ethiopia.

Over the past 30 days, Ethiopia has recorded 1 earthquake of magnitude 2.5 or greater in our tracker. 1 landed between M4.0 and M4.9. By depth: 1 shallow (<70 km). 1 of the epicenters were offshore. 1 event produced at least one felt report, totalling 1 citizen submissions to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. All 1 solutions have been reviewed by a USGS seismologist.
Each row in the table below includes a narrative summary of the event, ordered by time. Use the column headers to sort or filter by magnitude.
| Time ↓ | Mag ↕ | Location ↕ | Depth ↕ | Felt ↕ | MMI | Alert | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2026-09-16 2026-09-16 12:33:23 UTC | 4.5mb | 6 km NW of Āwash, Ethiopia 9.025°, 40.130° | 10.0 km | 1 | - | - | ✓ Reviewed | USGS → |
On September 16, 2026 at 12:33 UTC, a magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 6 km NW of Āwash, Ethiopia. The event was offshore. See the M4.5 event page for the full report, ShakeMap, and citizen-reported intensity data. | ||||||||
6 km NW of Āwash, Ethiopia
2026-09-16
13 km ENE of Metahāra, Ethiopia
2026-08-09
Data from USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Updated every 5 minutes.
Ethiopia sits atop the East African Rift system where the African continent is slowly splitting apart, causing frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.
In 2026, Ethiopia has recorded 18 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or greater so far. The largest earthquake in Ethiopia in 2026 was a magnitude 4.6 event near Metahāra, Ethiopia.
Over the past 30 days, there have been 1 recorded earthquakes in this region. The largest recent earthquake was a magnitude 4.5 event near 6 km NW of Āwash, Ethiopia.
In the past 30 days, 1 earthquakes have been recorded in the Ethiopia region.
The largest recent earthquake in the Ethiopia area was a magnitude 4.5 event that occurred 6 km NW of Āwash, Ethiopia.
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