Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Ethiopia
Ethiopia has catalogued 576 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 43rd of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.5.
Ethiopia ranks 43rd of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 27 M4+ events a year alongside 19 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Its M6+ record runs from 1906 to 1987, peaking in 1938.
- 576
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 19
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.5
- Strongest
- ~27
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Ethiopia is more seismically active than most places tracked here, with 576 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 19 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.5.
- 1938
- busiest year (3 major events)
- 14 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.5 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Italy sits immediately above at 613 events and Venezuela sits immediately below at 538.
ComCat magnitude tape
Event tape ETHIOPIA · Ethiopia M4+ · 43rd/187
Ethiopia · 576 M4+ · max M6.5 · 19 M6+
- M6 576
- DEPTH 43rd/187
- PHOTO M6.5
- BUSY 19
- SHAL near Italy
- PCT 100% shallow
Stamps derive from this country's USGS ComCat row (M4+ book, rank, peak magnitude, M6+ record, ladder neighbour, depth/peak year), not a hazard forecast. PlainQuake is informational only - not professional advice and not a substitute for official USGS guidance. See our disclaimer. Verify with USGS ComCat → · Read with methodology → · How earthquakes are measured → · Reading earthquake data → · All country catalog rows → · Countries ranked →
Observed impact record
What ComCat observed after earthquakes in Ethiopia
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 12 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 7.9. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 12
- Average observed MMI
- 7.9
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 0 / 0
Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.
Where Ethiopia sits in the catalog
Rank 43rd of 187 tracked countries (77th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Italy sits immediately above at 613 events and Venezuela sits immediately below at 538.
Ethiopia's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
576 Top 23% higher than 77% of 187 countries
Each bar is a 500-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) · 2005-present
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Ethiopia by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1915 1
1915: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1919 1
1919: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1928 1
1928: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1929 1
1929: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1937 1
1937: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1938
1938: 3 major (M6+) events
3
- 1942 1
1942: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1944 1
1944: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1954 1
1954: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1961
1961: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 1969
1969: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 1987
1987: 2 major (M6+) events
2
What this shows Ethiopia's most active year for major earthquakes was 1938 (3 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
0 of 576 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 19 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Ethiopia.
M6.0-6.9
19
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 19 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 14 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
19
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Ethiopia
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 8 km E of Goba, Ethiopia | 15.0 km | Aug 25, 1906 |
| 6.4 | 10 km SE of Jinka, Ethiopia | 15.0 km | Jun 30, 1919 |
| 6.4 | 31 km E of Turmi, Ethiopia | 10.0 km | Nov 30, 1937 |
| 6.3 | 28 km SSE of Jinka, Ethiopia | 12.0 km | Oct 25, 1987 |
| 6.3 | 47 km ESE of Kemis?, Ethiopia | 15.0 km | Sep 27, 1938 |
| 6.2 | 42 km NNW of Axum, Ethiopia | 10.0 km | Sep 23, 1915 |
| 6.2 | 17 km NE of Dubti, Ethiopia | 12.7 km | Mar 29, 1969 |
| 6.2 | 32 km SSW of Kemis?, Ethiopia | 25.0 km | Jun 1, 1961 |
| 6.2 | 44 km N of Arba Minch, Ethiopia | 15.0 km | Oct 4, 1928 |
| 6.1 | 36 km ENE of Dubti, Ethiopia | 10.0 km | Apr 5, 1969 |
Significant earthquake record (19 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Ethiopia since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 13 km NE of Jinka, Ethiopia | 10.0 km | Oct 28, 1987 |
| 6.3 | 28 km SSE of Jinka, Ethiopia | 12.0 km | Oct 25, 1987 |
| 6.1 | 36 km ENE of Dubti, Ethiopia | 10.0 km | Apr 5, 1969 |
| 6.2 | 17 km NE of Dubti, Ethiopia | 12.7 km | Mar 29, 1969 |
| 6.0 | 31 km NW of Abomsa, Ethiopia | 20.0 km | Jun 2, 1961 |
| 6.2 | 32 km SSW of Kemis?, Ethiopia | 25.0 km | Jun 1, 1961 |
| 6.0 | 24 km W of G?dol?, Ethiopia | 15.0 km | Jun 30, 1954 |
| 6.0 | 38 km NW of Hagere Maryam, Ethiopia | 10.0 km | Sep 6, 1944 |
| 6.1 | 82 km ENE of Debre Werk’, Ethiopia | 15.0 km | Nov 18, 1942 |
| 6.0 | 35 km SW of Gewan?, Ethiopia | 15.0 km | Oct 23, 1938 |
| 6.0 | 28 km ESE of Debre S?na, Ethiopia | 15.0 km | Oct 20, 1938 |
| 6.3 | 47 km ESE of Kemis?, Ethiopia | 15.0 km | Sep 27, 1938 |
| 6.4 | 31 km E of Turmi, Ethiopia | 10.0 km | Nov 30, 1937 |
| 6.0 | 34 km SSE of Asaita, Ethiopia | 15.0 km | May 18, 1929 |
| 6.2 | 44 km N of Arba Minch, Ethiopia | 15.0 km | Oct 4, 1928 |
| 6.4 | 10 km SE of Jinka, Ethiopia | 15.0 km | Jun 30, 1919 |
| 6.2 | 42 km NNW of Axum, Ethiopia | 10.0 km | Sep 23, 1915 |
| 6.1 | 47 km SSW of Lobuni, Ethiopia | 10.0 km | Sep 16, 1913 |
| 6.5 | 8 km E of Goba, Ethiopia | 15.0 km | Aug 25, 1906 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Ethiopia-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Ethiopia-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Showing 6 of 186 countries with a recorded max magnitude.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 317,293 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,444 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-26.