Reviewed by USGSEthiopia58y ago
M5.2 earthquake 49 km NE of Dubti, Ethiopia
Saturday, April 5, 1969, 20:14:36 UTC · 12.066°N, 41.389°E
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 49 km NE of Dubti, Ethiopia on Saturday, April 5, 1969, 20:14:36 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.1 on April 5, 1969.
- Magnitude
- 5.2
- Moderate · mw
- Depth
- 15 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
919 tons of TNT
That is about 1/16 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
8 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Arabian and African plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
15 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 75 km
USGS lists 3 M2.5+ earthquakes within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.7 on April 6, 1969. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 32 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.347 km ESE of Kemisē, EthiopiaSeptember 27, 1938 · 215 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.217 km NE of Dubti, EthiopiaMarch 29, 1969 · 32 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.210 km WNW of Djibouti, DjiboutiMarch 11, 1961 · 188 km E of this epicenter
- 6.232 km SSW of Kemisē, EthiopiaJune 1, 1961 · 255 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.136 km ENE of Dubti, EthiopiaApril 5, 1969 · 18 km S of this epicenter
- 6.126 km NNW of 'Ali Sabieh, DjiboutiJanuary 4, 1960 · 154 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.035 km SW of Gewanē, EthiopiaOctober 23, 1938 · 259 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.0northwestern SomaliaJanuary 22, 1929 · 268 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 5 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 306 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1961M6.2
Karakore
1 Jun 1961 · 255 km away · intensity IX
160 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1861
Dubbi
7 May 1861 · 187 km away
106 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1969M6.2
Sardo
29 Mar 1969 · 29 km away · intensity IX
40 deathsUnder $1 million damage
- 1845
Ethiopia
12 Feb 1845 · 261 km away
- 1909
Djibouti; Yemen
19 Feb 1909 · 128 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.