Reviewed by USGSPanama65y ago
M7.2 earthquake 59 km SSE of Burica, Panama
Thursday, July 26, 1962, 08:14:46 UTC · 7.512°N, 82.729°W
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck 59 km SSE of Burica, Panama on Thursday, July 26, 1962, 08:14:46 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.5 on December 5, 1941.
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 25 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- VI
- Strong (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
888 kilotons of TNT
That is about 59 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 1,862 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
22 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and Panama plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
25 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 200 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 200 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 102 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.544 km ESE of Burica, PanamaJuly 18, 1934 · 45 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.570 km WSW of Golfito, Costa RicaDecember 5, 1941 · 140 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.353 km SSE of Quepos, Costa RicaDecember 20, 1904 · 217 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.245 km SW of Quebrada de Piedra, PanamaJanuary 20, 1904 · 89 km E of this epicenter
- 7.056 km SSE of Cambutal, PanamaMay 2, 1943 · 274 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9112 km SSW of Quepos, Costa RicaDecember 6, 1941 · 239 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.8south of PanamaJuly 18, 1934 · 39 km E of this epicenter
- 6.8228 km WSW of Burica, PanamaMarch 3, 1906 · 219 km W of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 16 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 6 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1941M7.6
Costa Rica-Panama
5 Dec 1941 · 142 km away · intensity IV
6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1854M7.3
Costa Rica-Panama
5 Aug 1854 · 114 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1822M7.6
Matina
7 May 1822 · 223 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1962M7.4
Panama
26 Jul 1962 · 80 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1882M5.8
Alajuela, San Jose, Heredia
3 Mar 1882 · 247 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1910M5.8
Cartago
13 Apr 1910 · 290 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.