Reviewed by USGSPanama93y ago
M7.5 earthquake 44 km ESE of Burica, Panama
Wednesday, July 18, 1934, 01:36:31 UTC · 7.853°N, 82.513°W
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck 44 km ESE of Burica, Panama on Wednesday, July 18, 1934, 01:36:31 UTC, at a depth of 30.0 km (shallow). No earthquake of this size or larger appears within 300 km in the USGS catalog since 1900.
- Magnitude
- 7.5
- Major · mw
- Depth
- 30 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 earthquakeDashed circle: 200 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
2.7 megatons of TNT
That is about 178 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 5,623 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
61 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Nazca and Panama plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
30 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 lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 200 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.8 on July 18, 1934. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 30 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.353 km SSE of Quepos, Costa RicaDecember 20, 1904 · 209 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.245 km SW of Quebrada de Piedra, PanamaJanuary 20, 1904 · 59 km E of this epicenter
- 7.16 km WNW of Siquirres, Costa RicaApril 24, 1916 · 276 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.8228 km WSW of Burica, PanamaMarch 3, 1906 · 254 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.711 km NE of Changuinola, PanamaApril 26, 1916 · 184 km N of this epicenter
- 6.7260 km SSW of Arenas, PanamaAugust 20, 1927 · 292 km S of this epicenter
- 6.712 km ESE of Jacó, Costa RicaMarch 4, 1924 · 293 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.621 km ENE of Pedasí, PanamaOctober 2, 1913 · 296 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 15 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 700 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1910M6.4
Cartago, San Jose
4 May 1910 · 289 km away
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1854M7.3
Costa Rica-Panama
5 Aug 1854 · 90 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1888
San Jose, Ala Juela, Heredia
30 Dec 1888 · 291 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1822M7.6
Matina
7 May 1822 · 191 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1882M5.8
Alajuela, San Jose, Heredia
3 Mar 1882 · 238 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1910M5.8
Cartago
13 Apr 1910 · 271 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.