Ethiopia earthquakes

M6.0 earthquake 28 km ESE of Debre S?na, Ethiopia

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 28 km ESE of Debre S?na, Ethiopia on Thu, Oct 20, 1938, 3:59 PM GMT+2:45 (13:14 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
6.0 (mw), strong
Local time
UTC
1938-10-20 13:14:59 UTC
Depth
15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
9.716° N, 39.988° E
Region
Ethiopia
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude uncertainty
±0.36
Depth from
From location

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 3.0 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem902721. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 11:10 PM UTC.