M4.5 earthquake 91 km NNW of Semera, Ethiopia
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 91 km NNW of Semera, Ethiopia on Mon, Aug 6, 1979, 3:48 AM GMT+3 (00:48 UTC), 35 km (22 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.0 Ethiopia. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (mb), light
- Local time
- UTC
- 1979-08-06 00:48:26 UTC
- Depth
- 35.0 km (21.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 12.546° N, 40.666° 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.
- Stations used
- 11
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayEthiopia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000128a. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:18 AM UTC.