Strong and shallow M5.5 earthquake hits near Dofen volcano, Ethiopia’s Afar region
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M5.5 hit the Afar region, Ethiopia, at 18:53 UTC (21:53 LT) on March 16, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 46 km (28.6 miles) south of Awash (population 11 415), 63.8 km (39.7 miles) south-southwest of Metahara (population 23 403), and 55.5 km (34.5 miles) east of Dofen volcano, Ethiopia.
6 000 people are estimated to have felt severe shaking, 26 000 very strong, 14 000 strong and 30 000 moderate.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are informal (metal, timber, GI, etc.) and adobe block construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards, such as landslides, that might have contributed to losses.
A moderate aftershock registered as M4.3 hit 47 km (30 miles) SSE of Abomsa, Ethiopia, at 21:20 UTC on March 16 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).
The quakes are a part of an ongoing seismo-volcanic crisis affecting the Dofen volcano region since December 22, 2024. The crisis has been marked by a series of moderate to strong earthquakes, large ground fissures, and the opening of a powerful volcanic vent in Ethiopia’s Afar region.
Mass evacuations were launched after an M5.7 earthquake on January 4, 2025, led to the appearance of large cracks. Over 60 000 residents have been displaced since the onset of the crisis.
On January 3, a new vent formed near Mount Dofen, releasing powerful jets of steam, gas, rocks, and mud, raising concerns about a potential eruption—the first in recorded history for this volcano. The Ethiopian Geological Institute reported that volcanic mudflows were complicating evacuation efforts.
In addition to the volcanic activity, concerns also emerged about the structural stability of the Kesem/Sabure Dam, located downstream. The dam, which holds a substantial volume of water, was engineered to withstand earthquakes up to M5.6. However, with seismic activity in the region exceeding that threshold, experts warned that any structural failure could lead to catastrophic flooding, endangering hundreds of thousands of lives.
Mount Dofen, standing at 1 151 m (3 776 feet) a.s.l., lies within the Main Ethiopian Rift, part of the East African Rift System (EARS), one of the most tectonically active zones in the world. This region is prone to frequent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and ground deformation, mainly from ongoing tectonic plate divergence and magma intrusion beneath the surface.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M5.5 earthquake in Ethiopia – USGS – March 16, 2025
2 M5.5 earthquake in Ethiopia – EMSC – March 16, 2025
3 Intense seismo-volcanic crisis near Dofen volcano forces thousands to evacuate, Ethiopia – The Watchers – January 4, 2025
4 Significant damage reported, two injured as intense seismo-volcanic crisis hits Main Ethiopian Rift – The Watchers – January 13, 2025
Rishika holds a Master’s in International Studies from Stella Maris College, Chennai, India, where she earned a gold medal, and an MCA from the University of Mysore, Karnataka, India. Previously, she served as a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. During her tenure, she contributed as a Junior Writer for Europe Monitor on the Global Politics website and as an Assistant Editor for The World This Week. Her work has also been published in The Hindu newspaper, showing her expertise in global affairs. Rishika is also a recipient of the Women Empowerment Award at the district level in Haryana, India, in 2022.
When looking at that map, it seems to me that the directions given for the first earthquake are 180 degrees wrong, e.g., it appears to be of north (not south) of Awash, and north-northeast (not south-southwest) of Metahara.