Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Iceland
Iceland has catalogued 982 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 34th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.0.
Iceland ranks 34th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 47 M4+ events a year alongside 13 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Its M6+ record runs from 1910 to 2020, peaking in 2000.
- 982
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 13
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.0
- Strongest
- ~47
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Iceland is more seismically active than most places tracked here, with 982 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 13 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.0.
- 2000
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 12 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.5 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Canada sits immediately above at 1,026 events and Bolivia sits immediately below at 832.
Where Iceland sits in the catalog
Rank 34th of 187 tracked countries (82th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Canada sits immediately above at 1,026 events and Bolivia sits immediately below at 832.
Iceland's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
982 Top 18% higher than 82% of 187 countries
Each bar is a 500-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) · 2005-present
How Iceland compares to its nearest peers
Iceland ranks in the 82th percentile for M4+ frequency among all 187 tracked countries. Plotted here against its 20 nearest-ranked peers by how OFTEN they shake (M4+ count) against how HARD the strongest one ever hit (max recorded magnitude).
Read the chart (all 21 values)
| Country | M4+ events | Strongest magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Guatemala | 1,951 | M7.4 |
| New Caledonia | 1,917 | M7.5 |
| Colombia | 1,721 | M7.3 |
| Tajikistan | 1,583 | M7.2 |
| El Salvador | 1,501 | M7.3 |
| Nicaragua | 1,416 | M6.6 |
| Pakistan | 1,262 | M7.7 |
| Myanmar | 1,136 | M7.7 |
| Ecuador | 1,130 | M7.8 |
| Canada | 1,026 | M7.8 |
| Iceland (this page) | 982 | M6.3 |
| Bolivia | 832 | M6.8 |
| Wallis and Futuna | 807 | M6.7 |
| Costa Rica | 717 | M7.6 |
| Panama | 704 | M6.7 |
| Nepal | 694 | M7.8 |
| Micronesia | 672 | M6.6 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 625 | M6.7 |
| Italy | 609 | M6.6 |
| Ethiopia | 574 | M5.9 |
| Venezuela | 531 | M7.5 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Iceland by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1910
1910: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1912
1912: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1921
1921: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1929
1929: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1934
1934: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1963
1963: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1968
1968: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1976
1976: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1987
1987: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2000
2000: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 2008
2008: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2020
2020: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Iceland's most active year for major earthquakes was 2000 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
2 of 982 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 13 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Iceland.
M6.0-6.9
13
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 13 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 12 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
13
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Iceland
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.0 | 79 km N of Norðurþing, Iceland | 10.0 km | Jan 22, 1910 |
| 6.9 | 41 km W of Siglufjörður, Iceland | 10.0 km | Mar 28, 1963 |
| 6.8 | 67 km E of Selfoss, Iceland | 15.0 km | May 6, 1912 |
| 6.5 | 12 km ENE of Selfoss, Iceland | 10.0 km | Jun 21, 2000 |
| 6.5 | 25 km E of Selfoss, Iceland | 10.0 km | Jun 17, 2000 |
| 6.4 | 36 km ENE of Norðurþing, Iceland | 33.0 km | Jan 13, 1976 |
| 6.4 | 98 km NNW of Siglufjörður, Iceland | 10.0 km | Aug 23, 1921 |
| 6.3 | 1 km ESE of Hafnarfjörður, Iceland | 10.0 km | Jul 23, 1929 |
| 6.3 | 8 km N of Selfoss, Iceland | 9.0 km | May 29, 2008 |
| 6.2 | 19 km SW of Dalvík, Iceland | 10.0 km | Jun 2, 1934 |
Significant earthquake record (13 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Iceland since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 27 km NNE of Siglufjörður, Iceland | 10.0 km | Jun 21, 2020 |
| 6.3 | 8 km N of Selfoss, Iceland | 9.0 km | May 29, 2008 |
| 6.5 | 12 km ENE of Selfoss, Iceland | 10.0 km | Jun 21, 2000 |
| 6.5 | 25 km E of Selfoss, Iceland | 10.0 km | Jun 17, 2000 |
| 6.0 | 52 km NNE of Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland | 7.6 km | May 25, 1987 |
| 6.4 | 36 km ENE of Norðurþing, Iceland | 33.0 km | Jan 13, 1976 |
| 6.1 | 13 km S of Hafnarfjörður, Iceland | 10.0 km | Dec 5, 1968 |
| 6.9 | 41 km W of Siglufjörður, Iceland | 10.0 km | Mar 28, 1963 |
| 6.2 | 19 km SW of Dalvík, Iceland | 10.0 km | Jun 2, 1934 |
| 6.3 | 1 km ESE of Hafnarfjörður, Iceland | 10.0 km | Jul 23, 1929 |
| 6.4 | 98 km NNW of Siglufjörður, Iceland | 10.0 km | Aug 23, 1921 |
| 6.8 | 67 km E of Selfoss, Iceland | 15.0 km | May 6, 1912 |
| 7.0 | 79 km N of Norðurþing, Iceland | 10.0 km | Jan 22, 1910 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Iceland-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Iceland-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Iceland? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Iceland? ▼
How seismically active is Iceland? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Iceland? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Iceland's figures
982 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M7.0 · average M4.5 · 13 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Jun 13, 2026. Computed from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat). See the methodology and USGS ComCat.
Disclaimer: PlainQuake is informational only, not an emergency service or engineering advice. See our full disclaimer.
What Iceland's numbers mean
Iceland ranks 34th of 187 countries tracked - a moderately seismically active country.
- About 47 M4+ earthquakes strike Iceland per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 2000 was the busiest year on record with 2 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 100% of Iceland's catalogued major earthquakes are shallow (under 70km) - shallow events generally produce stronger surface shaking than deep ones of the same magnitude. How depth affects shaking
- The strongest catalogued event reached M7.0. Compare against neighboring or similarly-ranked countries before drawing conclusions from magnitude alone. Compare strongest earthquakes
Figures reflect the USGS ComCat catalog (M4+ since 2005, M6+ significant events since 1900) - not a real-time hazard assessment. For official guidance, see the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 315,341 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,428 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-07-19.