Reviewed by USGSDjibouti35y ago
M6.2 earthquake 4 km WSW of Arta, Djibouti
Thursday, March 5, 1992, 08:55:05 UTC · 11.513°N, 42.812°E
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 4 km WSW of Arta, Djibouti on Thursday, March 5, 1992, 08:55:05 UTC, at a depth of 7.4 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.4 on August 21, 1989.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 7 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VIII
- Severe (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
30 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 63 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
29 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Somali and Arabian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
7 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M3.6 on March 15, 1992. 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 70 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 6.512 km ENE of Gâlâfi, DjiboutiAugust 20, 1989 · 99 km W of this epicenter
- 6.417 km NNE of Gâlâfi, DjiboutiAugust 21, 1989 · 110 km W of this epicenter
- 6.217 km NE of Dubti, EthiopiaMarch 29, 1969 · 183 km W of this epicenter
- 6.210 km WNW of Djibouti, DjiboutiMarch 11, 1961 · 31 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.136 km ENE of Dubti, EthiopiaApril 5, 1969 · 164 km W of this epicenter
- 6.118 km NNE of Gâlâfi, DjiboutiAugust 20, 1989 · 109 km W of this epicenter
- 6.126 km NNW of Gâlâfi, DjiboutiAugust 21, 1989 · 123 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.118 km N of Gâlâfi, DjiboutiAugust 20, 1989 · 116 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 163 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1861
Dubbi
7 May 1861 · 283 km away
106 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1969M6.2
Sardo
29 Mar 1969 · 179 km away · intensity IX
40 deathsUnder $1 million damage
- 1991M4.7
Western Arabian Peninsula
22 Nov 1991 · 297 km away
11 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1989M6.3
Galafi, Yabaki; Ethiopia
20 Aug 1989 · 99 km away · intensity IX
6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1973M5.9
Djibouti
1 Apr 1973 · 29 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1909
Djibouti; Yemen
19 Feb 1909 · 40 km away
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.