Reviewed by USGSEthiopia58y ago
M5.2 earthquake 39 km N of Asaita, Ethiopia
Tuesday, April 8, 1969, 02:13:58 UTC · 11.918°N, 41.486°E
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 39 km N of Asaita, Ethiopia on Tuesday, April 8, 1969, 02:13:58 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.7 on April 6, 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
985 tons of TNT
That is about 1/15 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 2 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
11 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 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.2 on May 5, 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 36 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 · 209 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.217 km NE of Dubti, EthiopiaMarch 29, 1969 · 34 km W of this epicenter
- 6.210 km WNW of Djibouti, DjiboutiMarch 11, 1961 · 175 km E of this epicenter
- 6.232 km SSW of Kemisē, EthiopiaJune 1, 1961 · 252 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.136 km ENE of Dubti, EthiopiaApril 5, 1969 · 13 km W of this epicenter
- 6.126 km NNW of 'Ali Sabieh, DjiboutiJanuary 4, 1960 · 136 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.035 km SW of Gewanē, EthiopiaOctober 23, 1938 · 248 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.0EthiopiaOctober 20, 1938 · 294 km SW 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 · 252 km away · intensity IX
160 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1861
Dubbi
7 May 1861 · 203 km away
106 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1969M6.2
Sardo
29 Mar 1969 · 31 km away · intensity IX
40 deathsUnder $1 million damage
- 1845
Ethiopia
12 Feb 1845 · 274 km away
- 1909
Djibouti; Yemen
19 Feb 1909 · 113 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.