M5.5 earthquake 38 km NE of Semera, Ethiopia
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 38 km NE of Semera, Ethiopia on Sat, Mar 29, 1969, 2:07 PM GMT+3 (11:07 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.1 36 km ENE of Dubti, Ethiopia. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- ISC-GEM global catalog
- Local time
- UTC
- 1969-03-29 11:07:31 UTC
- Depth
- 15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 12.070° N, 41.222° E
- Region
- Ethiopia
- Strongest shaking
- V, moderate shaking
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- V, moderate shaking
- Map
- Automatic
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
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 6 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 5.439 km NE of Dubti, Ethiopia · 21007 days ago · 14 km deep · 23 km away
- 6.136 km ENE of Dubti, Ethiopia · 21001 days ago · 10 km deep · 24 km away
- 5.249 km NE of Dubti, Ethiopia · 21000 days ago · 15 km deep · 18 km away
- 5.732 km N of Asaita, Ethiopia · 20999 days ago · 10 km deep · 38 km away
- 5.239 km N of Asaita, Ethiopia · 20998 days ago · 15 km deep · 33 km away
- 5.221 km NNE of Asaita, Ethiopia · 20971 days ago · 15 km deep · 44 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayEthiopia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem811668 (also filed as atlas19690329110730). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 6:49 PM UTC.