A February 8, 2025, M7.6 earthquake struck southwest of the Cayman Islands, triggered by strike slip faulting in the shallow crust near the boundary between the North America and Caribbean plates. The earthquake’s focal mechanism suggests it occurred on a steeply dipping structure moving either west-northwest or west-southwest.
The North America plate moves at approximately 20 mm/yr to the west-southwest, with most of this motion accommodated along the nearby Swan Islands transform fault. This location and depth are consistent with rupture occurring along this plate boundary or a closely related fault.
While large earthquakes in this region are not uncommon, the magnitude of this event is notable. Ten M6 earthquakes have occurred within 250 km over the past century, including a nearby M7.5 earthquake in January 2018 that caused some damage and a small tsunami. The remote location limits potential damage from shaking, but the seismic activity remains a concern.
Source: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000pcdl/executive