M5.1 earthquake 37 km ENE of Borgarnes, Iceland
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 37 km ENE of Borgarnes, Iceland on Sat, May 18, 1974, 11:39 PM GMT (23:39 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M5.5 49 km ENE of Borgarnes, Iceland. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.1 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1974-05-18 23:39:55 UTC
- Depth
- 15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 64.739° N, 21.229° W
- Region
- Iceland
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.484 km NE of Borgarnes, Iceland · 19114 days ago · 37 km deep · 49 km away
- 4.865 km NE of Borgarnes, Iceland · 19102 days ago · 16 km deep · 25 km away
- 5.549 km ENE of Borgarnes, Iceland · 19102 days ago · 13 km deep · 9 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayIceland earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem748431. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 12:56 PM UTC.