Reviewed by USGSPanama14y ago
M4.6 earthquake 277 km SW of Arenas, Panama
Monday, June 4, 2012, 04:12:14 UTC · 5.449°N, 82.481°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 277 km SW of Arenas, Panama on Monday, June 4, 2012, 04:12:14 UTC, at a depth of 10.0 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M6.3 on June 4, 2012.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 10 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: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
44 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 50 km
USGS lists 1 M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M4.5 on June 4, 2012. 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 273 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 · 267 km N of this epicenter
- 7.245 km SW of Quebrada de Piedra, PanamaJanuary 20, 1904 · 268 km N of this epicenter
- 7.259 km SSE of Burica, PanamaJuly 26, 1962 · 231 km N of this epicenter
- 7.056 km SSE of Cambutal, PanamaMay 2, 1943 · 276 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.8south of PanamaJuly 18, 1934 · 224 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8146 km S of Punta de Burica, PanamaAugust 19, 1982 · 143 km N of this epicenter
- 6.8228 km WSW of Burica, PanamaMarch 3, 1906 · 289 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.878 km S of Boca Chica, PanamaSeptember 18, 1962 · 231 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 6 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700. The most severe:
- 1962M7.4
Panama
26 Jul 1962 · 234 km away
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 2002M6.5
Baru, Alanje, David; Costa Rica: Laurel
31 Jul 2002 · 278 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1934M7.7
Panama-Costa Rica
18 Jul 1934 · 284 km away
Under $1 million damagetsunami
- 1962M6.8
Costa Rica-Panama
12 Mar 1962 · 286 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1913M6.7
Azuero Peninsula
2 Oct 1913 · 277 km away
Limited damage (under $1M)tsunami
- 1950
Panama
30 Apr 1950 · 130 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.