5.2

M5.2 Earthquake 6 km NW of Grindavík, IcelandApril 1, 2025

2025-04-01 16:54:52 UTC (2025-04-01) · approx. 2:54 PM UTC-2 local

Felt by 10 people across nearby locations.

MagnitudeM5.2(mww)
Time16:54 UTC2:54 PM UTC-2
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates63.888°, -22.514°
Felt by10DYFI responses
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS

On April 1, 2025 at 16:54 UTC, a magnitude 5.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 6 km NW of Grindavík, Iceland, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 63.8879°, -22.5141°. This earthquake was detected by 157 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 422, 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

Map showing earthquake epicenter at 63.89°, -22.51°

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 M5.2 earthquake near 6 km NW of Grindavík, Iceland

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

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.2 mww
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
63.8879°N
-22.5141°E
Felt Reports
10
DYFI responses
Community Intensity
5.9
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000ppa0
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
422
Stations Used
157
Azimuthal Gap
23.0°
Min Station Distance
1.006°
RMS Residual
0.59 sec
Last Updated
2025-06-06 21:12:30 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Grindavík, Iceland?

The magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck 6 km NW of Grindavík, Iceland on April 1, 2025 at 16:54 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 63.8879°, -22.5141°, which is 6 km NW 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: us7000ppa0). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, April 1, 2025). M5.2 Earthquake 6 km NW of Grindavík, IcelandApril 1, 2025. Retrieved June 6, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000ppa0/