Major M7.6 earthquake hits Cayman Islands, hazardous tsunami waves possible

The epicenter was located 210 km (130 miles) SSW of George Town (population 29 370), Cayman Islands.

8 000 people are estimated to have fled moderate shaking, 2 747 000 light and 2 920 000 weak.

Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters (M7.6), hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1 000 km (620 miles) of the earthquake epicenter, NWS PTWC said.

This includes the coasts of the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, Honduras, the Bahamas, San Andrés Providencia, Belize, Haiti, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.

Estimated times of arrival:

Location	Region	Coordinates	ETA (UTC)
Cayman Brac	Cayman Islands	19.7N 79.9W	23:52 02/08
Grand Cayman	Cayman Islands	19.3N 81.3W	23:58 02/08
Montego Bay	Jamaica	18.5N 77.9W	00:03 02/09
Cienfuegos	Cuba	22.0N 80.5W	00:11 02/09
Santiago D Cuba	Cuba	19.9N 75.8W	00:18 02/09
Cozumel	Mexico	20.5N 87.0W	00:19 02/09
Puerto Cortes	Honduras	15.9N 88.0W	00:21 02/09
Trujillo	Honduras	15.9N 86.0W	00:40 02/09
Kingston	Jamaica	17.9N 76.9W	00:42 02/09
Baracoa	Cuba	20.4N 74.5W	00:48 02/09
Great Inagua	Bahamas	20.9N 73.7W	00:49 02/09
La Habana	Cuba	23.2N 82.4W	00:58 02/09
San Andres	San Andres Provi	13.4N 81.4W	01:07 02/09
Belize City	Belize	17.5N 88.2W	01:08 02/09
Providencia	San Andres Provi	12.6N 81.7W	01:14 02/09
Long Island	Bahamas	23.3N 75.1W	01:21 02/09
Jeremie	Haiti	18.6N 74.1W	01:26 02/09
Exuma	Bahamas	23.6N 75.9W	01:37 02/09
Puerto Limon	Costa Rica	10.0N 83.0W	01:53 02/09
Gibara	Cuba	21.1N 76.1W	01:55 02/09
Andros Island	Bahamas	25.0N 77.9W	02:03 02/09
Bimini	Bahamas	25.8N 79.3W	02:17 02/09
Nassau	Bahamas	25.1N 77.4W	02:20 02/09
Colon	Panama	9.4N 79.9W	02:25 02/09
Bocas Del Toro	Panama	9.4N 82.2W	02:30 02/09
Punta Gorda	Nicaragua	11.4N 83.8W	02:36 02/09
Santa Cruz D Sur	Cuba	20.7N 78.0W	02:43 02/09
Nueva Gerona	Cuba	21.9N 82.8W	03:13 02/09
Puerto Barrios	Guatemala	15.7N 88.6W	03:27 02/09
Progreso	Mexico	21.3N 89.7W	04:22 02/09
Puerto Cabezas	Nicaragua	14.0N 83.4W	05:51 02/09
Campeche	Mexico	19.9N 90.5W	06:05 02/09

The PTWC advised government agencies responsible for threatened coastal areas to take immediate action to inform and instruct populations at risk. These actions should be based on their own evaluation of the situation, established procedures, and the assessed level of threat. Authorities should ensure timely communication and provide clear directives to mitigate potential impacts.

Individuals in threatened coastal areas should remain alert for updates and follow instructions issued by national and local authorities. It is essential to stay informed through official channels and take precautionary measures as advised. Evacuation orders, if given, should be followed promptly to ensure personal safety.

The tsunami threat has largely passed by 02:00 UTC, PTWC said in their Final Tsunami Threat Message. “Further sea level data indicate that there is no longer a hazardous tsunami threat from this event.”

Persons located near impacted coastal areas should stay alert for information and follow instruction from local authorities. “Remain observant and exercise normal caution near the sea,” PTWC said.

The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.

Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are mud wall and informal (metal, timber, GI etc.) construction.

This earthquake was preceded by M4.3 at 02:22 UTC today, at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).

According to the USGS, the earthquake occurred as a result of strike-slip faulting in the shallow crust near the boundary between the North American and Caribbean plates. Focal mechanism solutions indicate that the rupture took place on a steeply dipping structure, striking either west-northwest (right-lateral) or west-southwest (left-lateral).

At the earthquake’s location, the North American plate moves west-southwest relative to the Caribbean plate at a rate of approximately 20 mm (0.8 inches) per year. This motion is primarily accommodated along the Swan Islands transform fault, a left-lateral strike-slip fault.

The earthquake’s location, depth, and focal mechanism are consistent with rupture along this plate boundary or a nearby, closely related fault. While earthquakes of this size are often plotted as points on maps, they are more accurately described as slip over a larger fault area.

Strike-slip faulting events of this magnitude typically rupture an area of approximately 140 x 20 km (87 miles x 12 miles).

Large earthquakes in this section of the plate boundary are not uncommon.

Over the past century, ten earthquakes of M6 or larger have occurred within 250 km (155 miles) of this event. On January 10, 2018, an M7.5 earthquake struck nearby with a similar faulting mechanism, causing some damage and generating a small tsunami. However, the remote location of these earthquakes limits the potential for significant damage from ground shaking.

Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking

Selected cities exposed

Regional seismicity

References:

¹ M7.4 earthquake Cayman Islands – USGS – February 8, 2025

² M7.4 earthquake Cayman Islands – EMSC – February 8, 2025

³ Tsunami Threat Message – NWS/PTWC – February 8, 2025