Moderate mag. 4.3 earthquake - 16.9 Km N of Herðubreiðarfjöll, Iceland, on Tuesday, 2 Mar 2021 5:36 am (GMT +0) -
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Moderate magnitude 4.3 earthquake at 14 km depth
2 Mar 05:49 UTC: First to report: IMO after 12 minutes.
Update Tue, 2 Mar 2021, 05:54
Moderate magnitude 4.3 quake hits 81 km southeast of Akureyri, Iceland early morning4.3 quake 2 Mar 5:36 am (GMT +0)
An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 occurred early morning on Tuesday 2 March 2021 at 5:36 am local time near Akureyri, Akureyrarkaupstaður, Northeast, Iceland, as reported by the Icelandic Met Office (IMO).
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a shallow depth of 14.1 km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.3 as well.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Reykjahlið (pop. 150) located 30 km from the epicenter.
Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Laugar (pop. 1000) located 53 km from the epicenter, Norðurþing (pop. 2,200) 76 km away, Akureyri (pop. 17,700) 81 km away, and Egilsstaðir (pop. 2,300) 95 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a shallow depth of 14.1 km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) which listed the quake at magnitude 4.3 as well.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Reykjahlið (pop. 150) located 30 km from the epicenter.
Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Laugar (pop. 1000) located 53 km from the epicenter, Norðurþing (pop. 2,200) 76 km away, Akureyri (pop. 17,700) 81 km away, and Egilsstaðir (pop. 2,300) 95 km away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.
Earthquake data:
Date & time: 2 Mar 2021 05:36:53 UTC -
Local time at epicenter: Tuesday, 2 Mar 2021 5:36 am (GMT +0)
Magnitude: 4.3
Depth: 14.1 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 65.48°N / 16.39°W
(Iceland)Nearest volcano: Fremrinamur (13 km / 8 mi)
Nearby towns and cities:
30 km (19 mi) SE of Reykjahlið (pop: 153) --> See nearby quakes!
53 km (33 mi) ESE of Laugar (pop: 1000) --> See nearby quakes!
76 km (47 mi) SE of Norðurþing (pop: 2,230) --> See nearby quakes!
81 km (51 mi) ESE of Akureyri (pop: 17,700) --> See nearby quakes!
95 km (59 mi) WNW of Egilsstaðir (pop: 2,300) --> See nearby quakes!
152 km (95 mi) E of Sauðarkrokur (pop: 2,580) --> See nearby quakes!
300 km (187 mi) ENE of Reykjavik (pop: 118,900) --> See nearby quakes!
302 km (188 mi) ENE of Kopavogur (pop: 31,700) --> See nearby quakes!
306 km (190 mi) NE of Hafnarfjordur (pop: 26,800) --> See nearby quakes!
610 km (379 mi) NW of Torshavn (Faroe Islands) (pop: 13,200) --> See nearby quakes!
Weather at epicenter at time of quake:
Overcast Clouds
-4.3°C (24 F), humidity: 90%, wind: 3 m/s (5 kts) from SSW
Primary data source: IMO (Icelandic Met Office)Overcast Clouds
-4.3°C (24 F), humidity: 90%, wind: 3 m/s (5 kts) from SSWEstimated released energy: 1.8 x 1011 joules (49.4 megawatt hours, equivalent to 42.5 tons of TNT) More info
Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies
Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
| Magnitude | Depth | Location | Source |
| 4.3 | 14 km | 16.9 Km N of Herðubreiðarfjöll, Iceland | IMO |
| 4.3 | 14 km | ICELAND | EMSC |
User reports for this quake (2)
User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
302 km WSW of epicenter [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s (reported through our app)
Miklabraut, 105 Reykjavik / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s
Earlier earthquakes in the same area
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