Under land 199 kilometer from Reykjavík in Iceland, a shallow and significant MAG-5.1 earthquake occurred in the evening of Saturday February 22nd, 2025.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Iceland, 199 kilometer (124 mi) east-northeast of Reykjavík in Capital Region. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Feb 22, 2025 21:04 (Reykjavik Time) - Feb 22, 2025 21:04 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 199 km ENE of Reykjavík, Capital Region, Iceland. Coordinates 64°39'1"N 17°55'48"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 26 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.061 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude 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 . Akureyri in Northeast, Iceland is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 115 kilometer (71 mi) south of Akureyri.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 115 km (71 mi) N from epicenter |
Akureyri Northeast, Iceland. |
| 199 km (124 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Reykjavík Capital Region, Iceland. |
| 201 km (125 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Kópavogur Capital Region, Iceland. |
| 203 km (126 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Hafnarfjörður Capital Region, Iceland. |
2 Aftershocks detected
This main shock was followed by 2 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 26 km (16 mi) east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 3
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Feb 22, 2025 21:04 (Reykjavik Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 2.8 |
31 mins later Feb 22, 2025 21:35 (Reykjavik Time) | 24 km (15 mi) E from Main Shock. |
| Aftershock | M 3.0 |
2 hrs later Feb 22, 2025 22:45 (Reykjavik Time) | 26 km (16 mi) E from Main Shock. |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).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 January 14th, 2025, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit 21 km (13 mi) further east. An even stronger magnitude 6 earthquake struck on June 21st, 2020.
In total, 19 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 6 months.
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
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 06/03/25 22:18 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000pfi9
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20250222_0000218
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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