Reviewed by USGSPanama100y ago
M6.6 earthquake 97 km SSE of Burica, Panama
Wednesday, August 10, 1927, 01:35:32 UTC · 7.248°N, 82.466°W
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 97 km SSE of Burica, Panama on Wednesday, August 10, 1927, 01:35:32 UTC, at a depth of 15.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.7 on April 26, 1916.
- Magnitude
- 6.6
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 15 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 earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
124 kilotons of TNT
That is about 8 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 260 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
5 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
15 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 has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 15 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 · 258 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.245 km SW of Quebrada de Piedra, PanamaJanuary 20, 1904 · 82 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.8228 km WSW of Burica, PanamaMarch 3, 1906 · 241 km W of this epicenter
- 6.711 km NE of Changuinola, PanamaApril 26, 1916 · 252 km N of this epicenter
- 6.621 km ENE of Pedasí, PanamaOctober 2, 1913 · 292 km E of this epicenter
- 6.5208 km S of Cambutal, PanamaDecember 2, 1904 · 298 km SE of this epicenter
- 6.3192 km S of Burica, PanamaSeptember 24, 1920 · 104 km S of this epicenter
- 6.228 km WSW of Golfito, Costa RicaJanuary 26, 1925 · 165 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 7 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1854M7.3
Costa Rica-Panama
5 Aug 1854 · 151 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1822M7.6
Matina
7 May 1822 · 257 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1882M5.8
Alajuela, San Jose, Heredia
3 Mar 1882 · 288 km away · intensity VIII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1916M7.0
Almirante, Bocas Del Toro
26 Apr 1916 · 267 km away · intensity IX
Under $1 million damagetsunami
- 1913M6.7
Azuero Peninsula
2 Oct 1913 · 207 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1854M7.2
Costa Rica-Panama
7 Aug 1854 · 151 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.