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Djibouti earthquakes

No earthquake of magnitude 2.5 or more has been located in Djibouti in the past 30 days. The largest on record there is M6.5 12 km ENE of Gâlâfi, Djibouti, Aug 20, 1989.

From the USGS, checked Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 5:57 PM UTC. Times are local to each quake. Outside the United States the catalog is complete from about magnitude 4.5; smaller quakes are listed where a network reported them.

Map

Where every quake below was located in Djibouti. Select one for its page.

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Past 30 days

Magnitude 2.5 and up, newest first.

None in the past 30 days. Most of Djibouti’s quakes are small; the largest on record are below.

Largest on record in Djibouti

The 25 largest in the USGS catalog since 1900, of magnitude 5 and up. Older magnitudes are estimates from historical accounts and early instruments.

Mag.DateWhereDepth
6.5Aug 20, 198912 km ENE of Gâlâfi, Djibouti12 km
6.4Aug 21, 198917 km NNE of Gâlâfi, Djibouti16 km
6.2Mar 5, 19924 km WSW of Arta, Djibouti7 km
6.2Mar 11, 196110 km WNW of Djibouti, Djibouti15 km
6.1Aug 20, 198918 km N of Gâlâfi, Djibouti10 km
6.1Aug 20, 198918 km NNE of Gâlâfi, Djibouti10 km
6.1Aug 20, 198920 km N of Gâlâfi, Djibouti12 km
6.1Aug 21, 198926 km NNW of Gâlâfi, Djibouti10 km
6.1Jan 4, 196026 km NNW of 'Ali Sabieh, Djibouti15 km
6.0Oct 28, 194539 km SSE of Holhol, Djibouti15 km
5.9Oct 5, 196313 km SW of Arta, Djibouti15 km
5.9Apr 1, 197314 km NW of Djibouti, Djibouti31 km
5.9Apr 11, 19946 km SSW of Tadjourah, Djibouti16 km
5.8Aug 21, 198916 km NW of Gâlâfi, Djibouti10 km
5.7Jun 16, 194929 km S of 'Ali Sabieh, Djibouti15 km
5.7Oct 25, 193066 km SE of 'Ali Sabieh, Djibouti15 km
5.7Aug 20, 198930 km N of Gâlâfi, Djibouti10 km
5.7Oct 30, 192637 km SSW of Dikhil, Djibouti15 km
5.6Jun 20, 1961100 km E of Obock, Djibouti20 km
5.6Oct 16, 197962 km ENE of Loyada, Djibouti7 km
5.6Mar 17, 199319 km ESE of Gâlâfi, Djibouti16 km
5.6Apr 24, 199414 km W of Djibouti, Djibouti10 km
5.6Mar 12, 193863 km SSE of Loyada, Djibouti15 km
5.5Sep 30, 19836 km SSW of Obock, Djibouti10 km
5.5Mar 9, 199741 km SE of Obock, Djibouti10 km

By year

Every year the USGS catalog covers.

What this means

Magnitude measures the energy a quake releases: each step up is about 32 times more energy, so an M6 releases about a thousand times the energy of an M4. Intensity measures the shaking at one place, which depends on the distance, the depth and the ground. One quake has one magnitude and many intensities.

The Modified Mercalli intensity scale
IntensityShakingWhat people notice
INot feltRecorded by instruments only.
II to IIIWeakFelt by a few people at rest, mostly on upper floors; hanging objects may swing.
IVLightFelt indoors by many. Dishes, windows and doors rattle; like a heavy truck passing.
VModerateFelt by nearly everyone; sleepers wake. Some dishes break and unstable objects tip over.
VIStrongFelt by all; heavy furniture moves, plaster cracks. Damage is slight.
VIIVery strongDamage slight to moderate in ordinary buildings, considerable in poorly built ones.
VIIISevereConsiderable damage in ordinary buildings, with partial collapse; chimneys and walls fall.
IX and upViolent to extremeHeavy damage even in well-designed buildings; many shifted off foundations.

Did I just feel an earthquake?

A quake appears in these lists within minutes: a few for the US, up to twenty for a quake abroad. Search your town above, or open your state. If it was a quake, tell the USGS through its Did You Feel It? form. If shaking starts: drop, cover and hold on; stay indoors until it stops; near the coast, move to high ground after strong or long shaking without waiting for a warning.

Sources

Earthquakes, magnitudes, depths, shaking estimates and felt reports from the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, read from its live feeds and its catalog back to 1900. Tsunami messages from NOAA’s tsunami warning centers.