Reviewed by USGSPanama44y ago
M6.8 earthquake 146 km S of Punta de Burica, Panama
Thursday, August 19, 1982, 15:59:01 UTC · 6.718°N, 82.680°W
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck 146 km S of Punta de Burica, Panama on Thursday, August 19, 1982, 15:59:01 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M7.2 on July 26, 1962.
- Magnitude
- 6.8
- Strong · mw
- Depth
- 10 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- V
- Moderate (ShakeMap)
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 100 km aftershock search areaColoured lines: estimated shaking intensity (USGS ShakeMap)
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
239 kilotons of TNT
That is about 16 times the Hiroshima bomb. It released about 501 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0.
Tectonic setting
22 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
10 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 2 M2.5+ earthquakes within 100 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.5 on September 5, 1982. 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 167 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 · 128 km N of this epicenter
- 7.570 km WSW of Golfito, Costa RicaDecember 5, 1941 · 211 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.353 km SSE of Quepos, Costa RicaDecember 20, 1904 · 291 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.245 km SW of Quebrada de Piedra, PanamaJanuary 20, 1904 · 144 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.259 km SSE of Burica, PanamaJuly 26, 1962 · 88 km N of this epicenter
- 7.056 km SSE of Cambutal, PanamaMay 2, 1943 · 256 km E of this epicenter
- 6.9112 km SSW of Quepos, Costa RicaDecember 6, 1941 · 295 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.8south of PanamaJuly 18, 1934 · 89 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 6 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1941M7.6
Costa Rica-Panama
5 Dec 1941 · 228 km away · intensity IV
6 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1854M7.3
Costa Rica-Panama
5 Aug 1854 · 201 km away
Severe damage ($5–24M)tsunami
- 1962M7.4
Panama
26 Jul 1962 · 115 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1979M6.5
Puerto Armuelles
1 Jul 1979 · 180 km away
$2 million damage
- 1934M7.7
Panama-Costa Rica
18 Jul 1934 · 144 km away
Under $1 million damagetsunami
- 1941M6.9
Costa Rica-Panama
6 Dec 1941 · 246 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.