A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M5.5 hit the Afar region, Ethiopia, at 18:53 UTC (21:53 LT) on March 16, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Ethiopia’s southern Afar and northern Oromia regions are experiencing an ongoing seismo-volcanic crisis that has injured two people, displaced over 60 000 residents, and caused extensive infrastructure damage since December 22, 2024.
A series of strong earthquakes, a newly opened volcanic vent, and the appearance of large cracks near the long-dormant Dofen volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region triggered the evacuation of thousands of people on January 4, 2025.
