4.4

M4.4 Earthquake 6 km SW of Hafnarfjörður, IcelandJuly 8, 2023

2023-07-08 17:57:29 UTC (2023-07-08) · approx. 4:57 PM UTC-1 local

Felt by 10 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM4.4(mb)
Time17:57 UTC4:57 PM UTC-1
Depth5.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates64.016°, -22.016°
Felt by10DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On July 8, 2023 at 17:57 UTC, a magnitude 4.4 shallow crustal earthquake struck 6 km SW of Hafnarfjörður, Iceland, at a depth of 5.0 km and coordinates 64.0165°, -22.0162°. This earthquake was detected by 129 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 303, placing it among routine seismic activity.

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 60 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 655 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

The epicenter is located in Iceland, a region characterized by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American and Eurasian plates diverge at 18-25 mm per year, amplified by the Iceland mantle plume. The nearest mapped fault system is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. View all earthquakes in Iceland.

Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 64.02°, -22.02°

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 10 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M4.4 earthquake near 6 km SW of Hafnarfjörður, Iceland

Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
4.4 mb
Depth
5.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
64.0165°N
-22.0162°E
Felt Reports
10
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
5.6
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000kqzu
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
303
Stations Used
129
Azimuthal Gap
91.0°
Min Station Distance
0.793°
RMS Residual
0.72 sec
Last Updated
2023-09-09 21:55:00 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 4.4 earthquake near Hafnarfjörður, Iceland?

The magnitude 4.4 earthquake that struck 6 km SW of Hafnarfjörður, Iceland on July 8, 2023 at 17:57 UTC had a depth of 5.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 64.0165°, -22.0162°, which is 6 km SW of Hafnarfjörður, Iceland. View all earthquakes in Iceland.

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.4 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.

Has Iceland had earthquakes this big before?

The largest recorded earthquake in Iceland was the M6.6 South Iceland earthquake of June 17, 2000. Today's magnitude 4.4 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000kqzu). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, July 8, 2023). M4.4 Earthquake 6 km SW of Hafnarfjörður, IcelandJuly 8, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000kqzu/