September 23, 1915 Earthquake: Asmara, Eritrea

Name: September 23, 1915 Earthquake: Asmara, Eritrea
Start: 1915-09-23
Location: Asmara, Eritrea

September 23, 1915 · M6.2

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Asmara, Eritrea on September 23, 1915 at 08:14:46 UTC.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: September 23, 1915
Time: 08:14:46 UTC
Place: Asmara, Eritrea
Magnitude: 6.2 (Mw)
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 14.482° N, 38.581° E
Country: Eritrea

The toll

Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

1915 Sept 23, 08:14:46.48, 14.482 N 38.581 E, magnitude 6.22 Mw (reference #10476)

1915 Sept 23, 16.0 N 38.5 E, magnitude 6.8 Ms. Coast of Eritrea. Slight damage in Asmara. (reference #13028)

1915 Sept 23, magnitude 5.8 Ms. (reference #13029)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1915 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1915 Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 10569.