Starting late September 2024, central Ethiopia experienced a series of earthquakes, most of which were located in the Awash Fentale region, and mainly located between or around the volcanoes of Mount Fentale and Dofan, in Ethiopia's Awash National Park. The earthquakes were widely felt across much of central Ethiopia, with many of them causing localized but severe damage.
  | |
| UTC time | 2025-01-04 00:52:22 |
|---|---|
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | 27 September 2024 – present |
| Local time | 03:52 EAT (UTC+3) |
| Magnitude | Mw 5.7 (strongest tremor) |
| Depth | 8 km (5 mi) |
| Epicenter | Mount Fentale 9°28′48″N 40°09′14″E / 9.480°N 40.154°E |
| Fault | East African Rift |
| Areas affected | Mainly Oromia and Afar Regions, Ethiopia |
| Total damage | Severe |
| Max. intensity | MMI VIII (Severe) |
| Casualties | None |
Timeline
editFrom 27 September to 2 November 2024, an earthquake swarm consisting of 17 earthquakes above Mw 4.0 occurred in the Awash Fentale area of the Afar Region.[1] Shaking from these earthquakes was felt across much of the Oromia Region, causing widespread concern.[2] The epicenter of the strongest earthquake, which measured Mw 5.2, was about 28 km (17 mi) northeast of Awash, and the depth of the event was approximately 10 km (6 miles).[3] Shaking was felt across central Ethiopia.[4]
On 13 October, a Mw 4.6 quake struck Oromia at around 07:37 local time. The shaking was felt throughout central and eastern Ethiopia, including southern Afar, southern Amhara, and central Oromia regions, northwestern Somalia, and the capital Addis Ababa.[5] On 16 October, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake occurred at 11:11 PM local time, which had an epicentre in the Metehara area of Oromia. The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) was the first to detail the seismic event, providing crucial data for understanding its effects. According to initial reports, residents near the epicenter felt the quake, though it caused minimal damage.[6] Further large earthquakes continued through December 2024.[7]
Starting on 23 December, a second swarm occurred, consisting of 87 earthquakes exceeding Mw 4.0.[8] Most of these earthquakes were located around Mount Fentale.[9] The strongest tremor measured Mw 5.7, striking 54 km (34 mi) north of Awash at a depth of 8 km (5.0 mi) on 4 January.[10]
On 3 January 2025, signs of volcanic activity including steam emissions, were reported from the region around Dofan volcano, prompting authorities to move some residents to temporary shelters. The Ethiopian Geological Institute posted a video on their official Facebook page showing a steam plume emerging from a volcano in Awash Fentale.[11][12] On the same day, another quake struck the region, with a magnitude of 5.8 and a depth of around 10 km (6 miles) according the US Geological Survey and the German Research Centre for Geosciences.[13] The government reported the evacuation of 80,000 residents, and announced that Ethiopian authorities were monitoring the seismic activity and its possible connections with Mount Dofan.[14][15]
Impact
editThe Mw 5.2 earthquake on 6 October destroyed several houses,[16] damaged two others, a mosque and a school, and caused ground cracks in the Awash Fentale area.[17] Due to the second swarm, over 50 homes, several schools and shops were destroyed, 100 others, a sugar factory, many office buildings and a road were damaged, and ground cracks were reported in the Awash Fentale-Dulecha area.[18][19][20][21][22]
Response
editPublic officials responded by shutting down transportation infrastructure in the zone nearest the epicentre to investigate the damage caused by the October 6 shock.[23] On 6 January 2025, it was reported that a task force had been established to assess the seismic risk to Addis Ababa. Experts from Addis Ababa University's Institute of Geophysics, Space Science, and Astronomy (IGSSA) and the Geological Survey of Ethiopia reported that the tremors felt in Addis Ababa were all due to the ongoing earthquake sequence in Awash Fentale, Dulecha and Oromia Fentale districts.[24] Reports of these seismic and volcanic events are being monitored by the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System.[25][26]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "USGS earthquake catalog". United States Geological Survey.
- ^ Endris, Yishak (2025-01-02). "Ethiopia: Over 30 Homes Collapse in Afar As Earthquakes Intensify in Awash Fentale". Addis Standard. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ ANSS. "M 5.2 – 28 km N of Āwash, Ethiopia 2024". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
- ^ "Ethiopia: A magnitude-4.9 earthquake occurs in the Oromia Region Oct. 6". Crisis24. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ "Ethiopia: Magnitude-4.6 offshore earthquake occurs south of Awash, Afar Region, at around 07:37 Oct. 13". Crisis24. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ "Earthquake Shakes Oromiya, Ethiopia: Residents Feel Tremors In Addis Ababa". ebc.et. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ "Earthquake hits Awash Fentale Area again". Borkena Ethiopian News. 2024-12-31. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ "USGS earthquake catalog". United States Geological Survey.
- ^ "Ethiopia rocked by series of earthquakes in 24 hours". The EastAfrican. 2025-01-03. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ ANSS. "M 5.7 - 54 km N of Āwash, Ethiopia 2025". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
- ^ "Risk of Ethiopian volcano eruption prompts evacuation of residents". Al Arabiya English. 2025-01-03. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ "Volcanic eruption hits central Ethiopia's Afar region amid frequent tremors". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ "Earthquake of magnitude 5.8 strikes Ethiopia". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
- ^ "Ethiopia evacuates 80,000 after earthquakes, fears of volcanic eruption". Voice of America. 2025-01-04. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ "Government Evacuates Residents Amid Earthquakes and Volcanic Unrest at Mount Dofan". Birr Metrics. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
- ^ "አዋሽ ፈንታሌ በመሬት መንቀጥቀጥ የተወሰኑ ቤቶችን መፍረሳቸው ተሠምቷል" (in Amharic). Addis Maleda. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
- ^ "ስለ አዋሽ ፈንታሌ የመሬት መንቀጥቀጥ የሰመራ ዩኒቨርስቲ ባለሙያዎች እና የወረዳው አስተዳዳሪ ምን አሉ?" (in Amharic). BBC News. 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
- ^ "መሬት ከመንቀጥቀጥም አልፎ እያዘለለችን ነው". DW News. 4 January 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ "ትላንት ለሊት በአፋር ክልል በደረሰ የመሬት መንቀጥቀጥ ሳቢያ ከ20 በላይ ቤቶች እና ሱቆች ፈረሱ" (in Amharic). Ethiopanorama. 31 December 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ "ከፍተኛ ስጋት የደቀነው የመሬት መንቀጥቀጥ" (in Amharic). DW News. 1 January 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ "Over 30 homes collapse in Afar as earthquakes intensify in Awash Fentale; thousands flee to neighboring areas seeking refuge". AddisStandard. 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "5.0 Magnitude Earthquake Recorded in Addis Ababa". NewsAddis. 31 December 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
- ^ "Ethiopia: A magnitude-4.9 earthquake occurs in the Oromia Region Oct. 6". Ethiopia: A magnitude-4.9 earthquake occurs in the Oromia Region Oct. 6 | Crisis24. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ^ "News: Task force established to assess earthquake risks in Addis Abeba; EDRMC relocates over 20,000 people from Afar, Oromia". Addis Standard. 6 January 2025.
- ^ "Overall Orange alert Volcanic eruption for Dofan". GDACS. 4 January 2025.
- ^ "ECHO Daily Map of 06 January 2025". ERCC - Emergency Response Coordination Centre.