Reviewed by USGSPanama11y ago
M6.5 earthquake 236 km S of Punta de Burica, Panama
Wednesday, January 7, 2015, 05:07:07 UTC · 5.904°N, 82.658°W
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 236 km S of Punta de Burica, Panama on Wednesday, January 7, 2015, 05:07:07 UTC, at a depth of 8.0 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.6 on December 8, 2014.
Tsunami flagUSGS sets this flag for large events in oceanic regions so tsunami warning centers review them. It does not by itself mean a tsunami occurred. Check tsunami.gov and local authorities for official messages.
- Magnitude
- 6.5
- Strong · mww
- Depth
- 8 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Max intensity I
- Est. shaking
- IV
- Light (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- Flag
- Check tsunami.gov
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
85 kilotons of TNT
That is about 6 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 178 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
25 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and Nazca plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
8 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 populated area was estimated to feel noticeable shaking.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 100 km
USGS lists 4 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M5.7 on February 5, 2015. 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 348 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 · 217 km N of this epicenter
- 7.570 km WSW of Golfito, Costa RicaDecember 5, 1941 · 293 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.245 km SW of Quebrada de Piedra, PanamaJanuary 20, 1904 · 224 km N of this epicenter
- 7.259 km SSE of Burica, PanamaJuly 26, 1962 · 179 km N of this epicenter
- 7.056 km SSE of Cambutal, PanamaMay 2, 1943 · 271 km E of this epicenter
- 6.8south of PanamaJuly 18, 1934 · 175 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8146 km S of Punta de Burica, PanamaAugust 19, 1982 · 90 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8228 km WSW of Burica, PanamaMarch 3, 1906 · 246 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 13 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 2 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 2003M6.5
Puerto Armuelles
25 Dec 2003 · 280 km away
2 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1854M7.3
Costa Rica-Panama
5 Aug 1854 · 291 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1962M7.4
Panama
26 Jul 1962 · 192 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.5
Puerto Armuelles
1 Jul 1979 · 270 km away
$2 million damage
- 2002M6.5
Baru, Alanje, David; Costa Rica: Laurel
31 Jul 2002 · 226 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1934M7.7
Panama-Costa Rica
18 Jul 1934 · 234 km away
Under $1 million damagetsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.