M7.6 Earthquake 210 km SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands — February 8, 2025
2025-02-08 23:23:14 UTC (2025-02-08) · approx. 6:23 PM UTC-5 local
Felt by 402 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.9 (moderate).
On February 8, 2025 at 23:23 UTC, a magnitude 7.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 210 km SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands, at a depth of 14.3 km and coordinates 17.6506°, -82.3950°. The earthquake was reported felt by 402 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.9 (moderate). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 235 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 1182, making it one of the most significant global earthquakes in recent days. The nearest populated place is Brus Laguna (population 4,067).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 3.8 megatons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 106 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 4.9 (moderate), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Mild shaking, similar to a passing truck. Hanging objects swing. Glasses and dishes may rattle. Not commonly felt outdoors.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 402 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
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 2,946,407 |
| MMI 4 | light | 2,717,637 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 7,503 |
Earthquake Details
-82.3950°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 7.6 earthquake near George Town, Cayman Islands?
The magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck 210 km SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands on February 8, 2025 at 23:23 UTC had a depth of 14.3 km. It was felt by 402 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.9 (moderate). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 17.6506°, -82.3950°, which is 210 km SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands. The nearest populated place is Brus Laguna (population 4,067).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 7.6 earthquakes can continue for months to years and gradually diminish over time.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000pcdl). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, February 8, 2025). M7.6 Earthquake 210 km SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands — February 8, 2025. Retrieved April 26, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000pcdl/