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Eritrea earthquakes

No earthquake of magnitude 2.5 or more has been located in Eritrea in the past 30 days. The largest on record there is M6.6 144 km NE of Massawa, Eritrea, Dec 28, 1977.

From the USGS, checked Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 7:59 AM 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 Eritrea. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

Past 30 days

Magnitude 2.5 and up, newest first.

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

Largest on record in Eritrea

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
6.6Dec 28, 1977144 km NE of Massawa, Eritrea33 km
6.2Apr 1, 194522 km S of Adi Keyh, Eritrea15 km
6.1Aug 14, 1921160 km NNW of Edd, Eritrea15 km
5.9Feb 27, 191317 km S of Adi Keyh, Eritrea10 km
5.9Sep 21, 1921101 km ENE of Massawa, Eritrea15 km
5.9Mar 27, 191326 km N of Asmara, Eritrea10 km
5.7Jan 14, 1980131 km NE of Massawa, Eritrea10 km
5.6Nov 11, 1962185 km NNE of Massawa, Eritrea15 km
5.6Jun 12, 201157 km S of Edd, Eritrea10 km
5.6Jun 17, 201169 km S of Edd, Eritrea10 km
5.6Aug 1, 2023Eritrea7 km
5.5Nov 23, 2025116 km WSW of Edd, Eritrea3 km
5.4Jun 13, 201144 km S of Edd, Eritrea10 km
5.4Nov 23, 2025116 km WSW of Edd, Eritrea3 km
5.3Jan 14, 1980123 km NE of Massawa, Eritrea10 km
5.2Jan 17, 1978131 km NE of Massawa, Eritrea10 km
5.2Jul 17, 1979212 km NNE of Massawa, Eritrea10 km
5.1Jun 12, 201156 km S of Edd, Eritrea2 km
5.0Mar 25, 1978132 km NE of Massawa, Eritrea10 km
5.0Oct 2, 2007108 km WSW of Edd, Eritrea10 km
5.0Jun 12, 201170 km S of Edd, Eritrea10 km
5.0Sep 18, 201317 km NW of Massawa, Eritrea10 km
5.0Sep 11, 2019128 km NE of Massawa, Eritrea10 km
5.0Sep 13, 202342 km S of Massawa, Eritrea10 km
5.0Apr 28, 202430 km ENE of Massawa, Eritrea10 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.