Shallow M4.6 FORESHOCK hit near Reykjavík in Iceland on Thursday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 9th, 2023. Last updated December 8th, 2023.

A shallow MAG-4.6 foreshock struck under land 31 kilometer from Reykjavík in Iceland in the night of Thursday November 9th, 2023.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Iceland, 31 kilometer (19 mi) southwest of Reykjavík in Capital Region. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 6 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Nov 9, 2023 00:46 (Reykjavik Time) - Nov 9, 2023 00:46 Universal Time.
Location:	31 km SW of Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland. Coordinates 63°56'42"N 22°21'15"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.6 Detected by 47 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.079 .
Depth:	6 km (4 mi) A very shallow depth.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (4 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Iceland . Located 24 kilometer (15 mi) southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, Hafnarfjörður (Capital Region, Iceland) is the nearest significant population center.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.

Overview of nearby places

Shaking reported by 7 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 7 people have reported shaking in 4 places, all within Iceland.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Reykjavík, Höfuðborgarsvæði, Iceland: 4 people.
• Keflavík, Suðurnes, Iceland: 1 person.
• Njarðvík, Suðurnes, Iceland: 1 person.
• Vogar, Suðurnes, Iceland: 1 person.

This is likely a foreshock

This earthquake was followed by a stronger MAG-5.3 earthquake, classifying this earthquake as a foreshock.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 3rd, 2023, when a 4.7 magnitude earthquake hit 13 km (8 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck on February 24th, 2021.

In total, 170 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.6 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 21 days.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 08/12/23 02:28 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000l9r1
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231109_0000011
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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