Shallow M5.4 Earthquake hit in the Caribbean Sea 129km from San Andrés (Colombia) on Tuesday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 11th, 2025. Last updated March 12th, 2025.

A shallow and significant M5.4 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea 129 kilometer from San Andrés, Colombia deep in the night of Tuesday March 11th, 2025. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 270 thousand people. Other nearby countries are Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the Caribbean Sea, 118 kilometers (74 mi) off the coast of Colombia, 129 kilometer south of San Andrés in San Andres y Providencia. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Mar 11, 2025 03:32AM (Bogota Time) - Mar 11, 2025 08:32 Universal Time.
Location:	129 km south of San Andrés, San Andres y Providencia, Colombia. Coordinates 11°25'42"N 81°37'52"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 44 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.047 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 270 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 270 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is III, which corresponds with weak shaking and probably no damage. Roughly 236,900 people are expected to be exposed to this level.

People in 4 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 120 thousand people were exposed to shaking in Costa Rica , with level III (weak shaking, probably no damage) as the highest recorded. Roughly 70 thousand people were exposed to shaking in Colombia . In Panama , around 70 thousand people. People were exposed to shaking in Nicaragua as well.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
33,850	II	Very weak	None
236,900	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

Colombia , Costa Rica , Nicaragua and Panama are all located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

Located 129 kilometer (80 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, San Andrés (San Andres y Providencia, Colombia) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in San Andrés is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
129 km (80 mi) N from epicenter	San Andrés San Andres y Providencia, Colombia.	III Weak
222 km (138 mi) SW from epicenter	Limón Limón, Costa Rica.	III Weak
241 km (150 mi) WNW from epicenter	Bluefields South Caribbean Coast, Nicaragua.
243 km (151 mi) SSW from epicenter	Changuinola Bocas del Toro, Panama.
253 km (157 mi) SW from epicenter	Siquirres Limón, Costa Rica.
271 km (168 mi) WSW from epicenter	Guápiles Limón, Costa Rica.
281 km (175 mi) SW from epicenter	Turrialba Cartago, Costa Rica.
293 km (182 mi) WNW from epicenter	Rama South Caribbean Coast, Nicaragua.
298 km (185 mi) SE from epicenter	Colón Colón, Panama.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is III. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 3 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 3 people have reported shaking in 3 places, all within Panama.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Las Colinas, Panamá, Panama: 1 person.
Panamá, Panamá, Panama: 1 person.
Santa Fé, Veraguas, Panama: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

This is the strongest earthquake in 6 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 25th, 2018, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 203 km (126 mi) further north-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 6 earthquake struck on November 25th, 2018.

In total, 2 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 5 years.

Low tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 12/03/25 05:38 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.