M5.2 Earthquake 5 km NNE of Grindavík, Iceland — November 10, 2023
2023-11-10 18:00:55 UTC (2023-11-10) · approx. 5:00 PM UTC-1 local
Felt by 4 people across nearby locations.
On November 10, 2023 at 18:00 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 5 km NNE of Grindavík, Iceland, at a depth of 5.0 km and coordinates 63.8898°, -22.4083°. This earthquake was detected by 181 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 418, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 951 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 2.3 km — 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
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 4 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
-22.4083°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Grindavík, Iceland?
The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck 5 km NNE of Grindavík, Iceland on November 10, 2023 at 18:00 UTC had a depth of 5.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 63.8898°, -22.4083°, which is 5 km NNE of Grindavík, Iceland. View all earthquakes in Iceland.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.2 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks 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 5.2 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000la69). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, November 10, 2023). M5.2 Earthquake 5 km NNE of Grindavík, Iceland — November 10, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000la69/