Significant magnitude 5.0 quake hits 21 km northwest of Āwash, Ethiopia around noon

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake near Āwash, Āfar, Ethiopia, was reported only 21 minutes ago by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), considered one of the key international agencies that monitor seismic activity worldwide. The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10. km beneath the epicenter around noon on Friday, February 7th, 2025, at 12:57 pm local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
A second report was later issued by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), which listed it as a magnitude 5.0 earthquake as well.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Āwash (pop. 36,500) located 21 km from the epicenter, and Metehara (pop. 23,400) 34 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Gelemso (pop. 16,100) located 62 km from the epicenter, Debre Birhan (pop. 57,800) 83 km away, Bedēsa (pop. 17,500) 83 km away, Āsbe Teferī (pop. 30,800) 88 km away, and Abomsa (pop. 15,300) 92 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.


Earthquake data:
Date & time: Feb 7, 2025 12:57 pm (Addis Ababa time) local time (7 Feb 2025 09:57 GMT)
Magnitude: 5.0
Depth: 10.00 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 9.16°N / 40.07°E (Āfar, Ethiopia)
Primary data source: GFZ
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