Magnitude 5.6 Earthquake Depth 6 km Strikes South of Panama on 17th December 2025

Before the arrival of Spanish colonists in the 16th century, Panama was inhabited by a number of different indigenous tribes. It broke away from Spain in 1821 and joined the Republic of Gran Colombia, a union of Nueva Granada, Ecuador, and Venezuela. After Gran Colombia dissolved in 1831, Panama and Nueva Granada eventually became the Republic of Colombia. With the backing of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, allowing the construction of the Panama Canal to be completed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. The 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties agreed to transfer the canal from the United States to Panama on December 31, 1999. The surrounding territory was returned first, in 1979.

Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake Depth 43 km Strikes South Sandwich Islands Region on 17th Dec 2025

In the Southern Ocean, a chain of islands forming part of the Scotia Arc. Volcanic islands, with some active volcanoes. Extreme weather conditions, including high winds and unpredictable storms. No permanent human settlements. South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Maritime Zone (200 nm from baselines) occupies over 1,000,000 km2 of the Southern Ocean.

First sighted by Antoine de la Roche in 1675, and later by James Cook in 1775. Annexed by Great Britain in 1908. Part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The islands are also claimed by Argentina as part of Tierra del Fuego.

The islands support a diverse range of marine life, including toothfish, seabirds, and other wildlife. The islands are an active area of scientific research, with ongoing studies focusing on oceanography, ecology, and the effects of climate change. The islands are only accessible by sea, and all visits require a permit.

Magnitude 5.3 Earthquake Depth 10 km Strikes Ionian Sea on 15th December 2025

The Ionian Sea is a part of the Mediterranean, located between Southern Italy/Sicily (west), Albania (north), and the Greek mainland (east), known for its clear waters, green islands (like Corfu, Zakynthos, Kefalonia), rich history, and popular sailing/tourism, connecting to the Adriatic Sea in the north via the Strait of Otranto. It’s deeper than much of the Mediterranean and famous for its beautiful beaches, olive groves, and cultural heritage, blending Italian and Greek influences.

Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake Depth 94 km Strikes Rota Region, North Mariana Islands on 15th Dec 2025

Rota (Chamorro: Luta), also known as the “Friendly Island”, is the southernmost island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the third southernmost of the Marianas Archipelago (the first being Cocos Island). Early Spanish records called it Zarpana; the name Rota may have come from the Andalusian municipality of Rota. It lies approximately 40 nautical miles (74 km) north-northeast of the separately administered United States territory of Guam. Sinapalo village is the largest and most populated, followed by Songsong village. Rota functions as one of the four municipalities of the CNMI.

Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake Depth 2 km Strikes Pakistan on 15th December 2025

Pakistan is the 33rd-largest country by area. Bounded by the Arabian Sea on the south, the Gulf of Oman on the southwest, and the Sir Creek on the southeast, it shares land borders with India to the east; Afghanistan to the west; Iran to the southwest; and China to the northeast. It shares a maritime border with Oman in the Gulf of Oman, and is separated from Tajikistan in the northwest by Afghanistan’s narrow Wakhan Corridor.

Pakistan is the site of several ancient cultures, including the 8,500-year-old Neolithic site of Mehrgarh in Balochistan, the Indus Valley Civilisation of the Bronze Age, and the ancient Gandhara civilisation. The regions that compose the modern state of Pakistan were the realm of multiple empires and dynasties, including the Achaemenid, the Maurya, the Kushan, the Gupta; the Umayyad Caliphate in its southern regions, the Hindu Shahis, the Ghaznavids, the Delhi Sultanate, the Samma, the Shah Miris, the Mughals, and most recently, the British Raj from 1858 to 1947.

Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake Depth 45 km Strikes Off East Coast of Kamchatka on 15th Dec 2025

The Kamchatka Peninsula, the Commander Islands, and Karaginsky Island constitute Kamchatka Krai of the Russian Federation. The majority of the 322,079 inhabitants are ethnic Russians, with about 13,000 being Koryaks (2014). More than half of the population lives in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (179,526 in 2010) and nearby Yelizovo (38,980). The Kamchatka Peninsula contains the volcanoes of Kamchatka, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, that form part of the Ring of Fire.

Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake Depth 117 km Strikes Rat Islands, Aleutian Islands on 13th December 2025

The islands got their name from rats that were accidentally introduced by a Japanese shipwreck in the 1780s.

A successful, government-funded program eradicated rats from Hawadax Island, leading to the island’s renaming and the restoration of its native birds and ecosystem.

Invasive rats remain a problem on other Aleutian Islands, negatively impacting bird populations and other wildlife.

A magnitude 8.7 earthquake occurred in the Rat Islands in 1965, highlighting the region’s seismic instability.

The Rat Islands form part of the Aleutian Island arc, where the Pacific plate subducts beneath the North American plate, a process that causes these large earthquakes.

Magnitude 4.1 Earthquake Depth 22 km Strikes Portugal on 13th December 2025

Portugal is a southern European country on the Iberian Peninsula, bordering Spain. Its location on the Atlantic Ocean has influenced many aspects of its culture: salt cod and grilled sardines are national dishes, the Algarve’s beaches are a major destination and much of the nation’s architecture dates to the 1500s–1800s, when Portugal had a powerful maritime empire.

Magnitude 4.2 Earthquake Depth 9 km Strikes Cyprus Region on 12th December 2025

It’s divided into two main parts: the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognized by Turkey. The island is administratively divided into six districts: Nicosia, Paphos, Limassol, Larnaca, Famagusta, and Kyrenia.

Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake Depth 39 km Strikes Hokkaido, Japan Region on 12th December 2025

The largest city on Hokkaido is its capital, Sapporo, which is also its only ordinance-designated city. Sakhalin lies about 43 kilometres (27 mi) to the north of Hokkaidō, and to the east and northeast are the Kuril Islands, which are administered by Russia, though the four most southerly are claimed by Japan. The position of the island on the northern end of the archipelago results in a colder climate, with the island seeing significant snowfall each winter. Despite the harsher climate, it serves as an agricultural breadbasket for many crops.

Hokkaido was formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso. Although Japanese settlers ruled the southern tip of the island since the 16th century, Hokkaido was primarily inhabited by the Ainu people. In 1869, following the Meiji Restoration, the entire island was annexed, colonized and renamed Hokkaido by Japan. Japanese settlers dispossessed the Ainu of their land and forced them to assimilate. In the 21st century, the Ainu are almost totally assimilated into Japanese society; as a result, the majority of Japanese people of Ainu descent have no knowledge of their heritage and culture.