Shallow M5.4 Earthquake hit 114km from Akureyri in Iceland on Wednesday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 29th, 2025. Last updated November 8th, 2025.

Under land 114 kilometer from Akureyri in Iceland, a shallow and significant MAG-5.4 earthquake occurred in the late afternoon of Wednesday October 29th, 2025. Roughly 60 thousand people may have felt this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Iceland, 114 kilometer (71 mi) south-southeast of Akureyri in Northeast. 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:	Oct 29, 2025 16:46 (Reykjavik Time) - Oct 29, 2025 16:46 Universal Time.
Location:	114 km SSE of Akureyri, Northeast, Iceland. Coordinates 64°44'39"N 17°5'9"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 32 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.055 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
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.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 60 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 60 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

An estimated 0 people were exposed to level VI. At this level, strong shaking and probably light damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 60 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Iceland .

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
0	II	Very weak	None
60,240	III	Weak	Probably none
4,170	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in Iceland . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Akureyri in Northeast, Iceland. Akureyri is located 114 kilometer (71 mi) south-southeast of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Akureyri is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
114 km (71 mi) NNW from epicenter	Akureyri Northeast, Iceland.	IV Light
240 km (149 mi) WSW from epicenter	Reykjavík Capital Region, Iceland.
242 km (150 mi) WSW from epicenter	Kópavogur Capital Region, Iceland.
245 km (152 mi) WSW from epicenter	Hafnarfjörður Capital Region, Iceland.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is VIII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 1 smaller aftershock. At a distance of 21 km (13 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 2.9

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 5.4	Oct 29, 2025 16:46 (Reykjavik Time)	-
Aftershock	M 2.9	2 hrs later Oct 29, 2025 18:33 (Reykjavik Time)	21 km (13 mi) SW 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).

This is the strongest earthquake in 3 years

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 31st, 2022, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 268 km (167 mi) further west-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6 earthquake struck on June 21st, 2020.

In total, 6 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 2 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

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 5.4. 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 08/11/25 17:08 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.