Reviewed by USGS11y ago
M5.7 earthquake south of Panama
Thursday, February 5, 2015, 04:40:51 UTC · 5.222°N, 82.622°W
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck south of Panama on Thursday, February 5, 2015, 04:40:51 UTC, at a depth of 4.0 km (shallow). The USGS PAGER alert is green: low likelihood of casualties and damage. It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.5 on January 7, 2015.
- Magnitude
- 5.7
- Moderate · mww
- Depth
- 4 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Max intensity I
- Est. shaking
- III
- Weak (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Impact estimate
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 75 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
5 kilotons of TNT
That is about 1/3 of the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 11 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
29 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
4 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 75 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 75 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.6 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 263 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 · 293 km N of this epicenter
- 7.245 km SW of Quebrada de Piedra, PanamaJanuary 20, 1904 · 296 km N of this epicenter
- 7.259 km SSE of Burica, PanamaJuly 26, 1962 · 255 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8south of PanamaJuly 18, 1934 · 250 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8146 km S of Punta de Burica, PanamaAugust 19, 1982 · 166 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8228 km WSW of Burica, PanamaMarch 3, 1906 · 293 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.878 km S of Boca Chica, PanamaSeptember 18, 1962 · 257 km N of this epicenter
- 6.7260 km SSW of Arenas, PanamaAugust 20, 1927 · 75 km E of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 2 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1962M7.4
Panama
26 Jul 1962 · 262 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1950
Panama
30 Apr 1950 · 148 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.