Reviewed by USGSPanama94y ago
M6.2 earthquake 29 km W of Burica, Panama
Thursday, November 23, 1933, 18:57:50 UTC · 8.010°N, 83.131°W
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck 29 km W of Burica, Panama on Thursday, November 23, 1933, 18:57:50 UTC, at a depth of 25.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.2 on November 21, 1933.
- Magnitude
- 6.2
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 25 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
26 kilotons of TNT
That is about 2 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 55 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
21 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 100 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M6.0 on November 29, 1933. 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 26 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 · 146 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.245 km SW of Quebrada de Piedra, PanamaJanuary 20, 1904 · 129 km E of this epicenter
- 7.16 km WNW of Siquirres, Costa RicaApril 24, 1916 · 238 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8228 km WSW of Burica, PanamaMarch 3, 1906 · 204 km SW of this epicenter
- 6.711 km NE of Changuinola, PanamaApril 26, 1916 · 183 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.712 km ESE of Jacó, Costa RicaMarch 4, 1924 · 232 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.697 km SSE of Burica, PanamaAugust 10, 1927 · 112 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.3251 km SSW of Río Grande, PanamaMay 6, 1933 · 260 km S 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 · 241 km away
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1854M7.3
Costa Rica-Panama
5 Aug 1854 · 56 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1888
San Jose, Ala Juela, Heredia
30 Dec 1888 · 241 km away · intensity VIII
Severe damage ($5–24M)
- 1822M7.6
Matina
7 May 1822 · 166 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1882M5.8
Alajuela, San Jose, Heredia
3 Mar 1882 · 176 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1910M5.8
Cartago
13 Apr 1910 · 221 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.