On Tuesday Night a Shallow M5.4 Earthquake struck 110km from Akureyri in Iceland.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 28th, 2026. Last updated July 29th, 2026.

Under land 110 kilometer from Akureyri in Iceland, a shallow and significant Magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Tuesday July 28th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 80 thousand people.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Iceland, 110 kilometer (68 mi) south 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:	Jul 28, 2026 05:36 (Reykjavik Time) - Jul 28, 2026 05:36 Universal Time.
Location:	110 km south of Akureyri, Northeast, Iceland. Coordinates 64°42'39"N 17°42'37"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 43 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.047 .
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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 80 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 80 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.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is V, which corresponds with moderate shaking and very light damage. Roughly 0 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 80 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
78,100	III	Weak	Probably none
3,830	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 . Akureyri in Northeast, Iceland is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 110 kilometer (68 mi) south of Akureyri. Akureyri experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
110 km (68 mi) N from epicenter	Akureyri Northeast, Iceland.	IV Light
211 km (131 mi) W from epicenter	Reykjavík Capital Region, Iceland.
212 km (132 mi) W from epicenter	Kópavogur Capital Region, Iceland.
215 km (134 mi) W from epicenter	Hafnarfjörður Capital Region, Iceland.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The intensity in shaking and damage by this earthquake is illustrated through the map below. The highest intensity measured 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.

2 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 2 smaller aftershocks occurred. A 3.4 magnitude earthquake hit 11 hrs later 77 km (48 mi) southwest of this earthquake.

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	Jul 28, 2026 05:36 (Reykjavik Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.1	7 mins later Jul 28, 2026 05:44 (Reykjavik Time)	20 km (12 mi) SE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 3.4	11 hrs later Jul 28, 2026 16:57 (Reykjavik Time)	77 km (48 mi) SW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

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 are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 29th, 2025, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 23 km (14 mi) further south-east. An even stronger magnitude 6 earthquake struck on June 21st, 2020.

In total, 7 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 year.

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 29/07/26 10:38 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.