Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands has catalogued 109 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 77th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.6.
Cayman Islands ranks 77th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 5 M4+ events a year alongside 9 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Its M6+ record runs from 1925 to 2025, peaking in 2004.
- 109
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 9
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.6
- Strongest
- ~5
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Cayman Islands is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 109 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 9 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.6.
- 2004
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 14 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 Anguilla sits immediately above at 113 events and Brazil sits immediately below at 101.
ComCat magnitude tape
Event tape CAYMAN-ISLAN · Cayman Islands M4+ · 77th/187
Cayman Islands · 109 M4+ · max M7.6 · 9 M6+
- COMCAT 109
- TAPE 77th/187
- EPIC M7.6
- YOY 9
- BAND near Anguilla
- STRIP 100% shallow
Stamps derive from this country's USGS ComCat row (M4+ book, rank, peak magnitude, M6+ record, ladder neighbour, depth/peak year), not a hazard forecast. PlainQuake is informational only - not professional advice and not a substitute for official USGS guidance. See our disclaimer. Verify with USGS ComCat → · Read with methodology → · How earthquakes are measured → · Reading earthquake data → · All country catalog rows → · Countries ranked →
Observed impact record
What ComCat observed after earthquakes in Cayman Islands
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 3 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 5.3. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 3
- Average observed MMI
- 5.3
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 2 / 2
Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.
Where Cayman Islands sits in the catalog
Rank 77th of 187 tracked countries (59th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Anguilla sits immediately above at 113 events and Brazil sits immediately below at 101.
Cayman Islands's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
109 Top 41% higher than 59% 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
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Cayman Islands by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1925
1925: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1954
1954: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1962
1962: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1995
1995: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1999
1999: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2004
2004: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 2020
2020: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2025
2025: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Cayman Islands's most active year for major earthquakes was 2004 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
2 of 109 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 9 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Cayman Islands.
M7.0-7.9
1
11.1%
M6.0-6.9
8
88.9%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 9 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 14 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
9
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Cayman Islands
The 9 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.6 | 210 km SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands | 14.3 km | Feb 8, 2025 |
| 6.8 | 36 km S of George Town, Cayman Islands | 10.0 km | Dec 14, 2004 |
| 6.3 | 209 km SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands | 10.0 km | Dec 1, 1999 |
| 6.1 | 55 km SE of East End, Cayman Islands | 10.0 km | Jan 28, 2020 |
| 6.1 | 55 km S of Bodden Town, Cayman Islands | 20.0 km | Jul 25, 1962 |
| 6.1 | 192 km SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands | 15.0 km | Dec 10, 1954 |
| 6.1 | 174 km SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands | 10.0 km | Jun 14, 1925 |
| 6.0 | 170 km S of George Town, Cayman Islands | 25.2 km | Sep 9, 2004 |
| 6.0 | 61 km SW of George Town, Cayman Islands | 10.0 km | Jun 27, 1995 |
Significant earthquake record (9 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Cayman Islands since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.6 | 210 km SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands | 14.3 km | Feb 8, 2025 |
| 6.1 | 55 km SE of East End, Cayman Islands | 10.0 km | Jan 28, 2020 |
| 6.8 | 36 km S of George Town, Cayman Islands | 10.0 km | Dec 14, 2004 |
| 6.0 | 170 km S of George Town, Cayman Islands | 25.2 km | Sep 9, 2004 |
| 6.3 | 209 km SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands | 10.0 km | Dec 1, 1999 |
| 6.0 | 61 km SW of George Town, Cayman Islands | 10.0 km | Jun 27, 1995 |
| 6.1 | 55 km S of Bodden Town, Cayman Islands | 20.0 km | Jul 25, 1962 |
| 6.1 | 192 km SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands | 15.0 km | Dec 10, 1954 |
| 6.1 | 174 km SSW of George Town, Cayman Islands | 10.0 km | Jun 14, 1925 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Cayman Islands-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Cayman Islands-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Showing 6 of 186 countries with a recorded max magnitude.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 317,293 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,444 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 2026-08-26.