Shallow M5.7 Earthquake struck on Monday Afternoon in the North Pacific Ocean near David (Panama).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on July 22nd, 2024. Last updated September 20th, 2024.

In the afternoon of Monday July 22nd, 2024, a shallow and significant M5.7 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 47 kilometer from David, Panama. Earthquakes like this can cause significant economic damage but are usually unlikely to result on large numbers of fatalities. Another country near the epicenter is Costa Rica.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, right off the coast of Panama (4 mi offshore), 47 kilometer west-southwest of David in Chiriquí. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 7 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jul 22, 2024 02:19PM (Panama Time) - Jul 22, 2024 19:19 Universal Time.
Location:	47 km WSW of David, Chiriquí, Panama. Coordinates 8°13'12"N 82°48'27"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 41 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.048 .
Depth:	7 km (4 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Significant economic impact

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level YELLOW (significant). They expect an 35% likelyhood of between 1 and 10 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 98% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 1,000 million USD.

Roughly 4.4 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 4.4 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

Very strong shaking and likely moderate damage may have been experienced by an estimated 5,700 people. At VII, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 3.5 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. Roughly 1.1 million people were exposed to shaking in Panama , with level VII (very strong shaking, likely moderate damage) as the highest recorded. In Costa Rica , around 3.3 million people.

Nearby towns and cities

Panama and Costa Rica are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is La Concepción in Chiriquí, Panama. La Concepción is located 39 kilometer (24 mi) south-southwest of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in La Concepción is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VII. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 32 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 32 people have reported shaking in 21 places in 2 countries (Panama, Costa Rica).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama: 8 people.
• David, Chiriquí, Panama: 3 people.
• Almirante, Bocas del Toro, Panama: 2 people.
• Volcán, Chiriquí, Panama: 2 people.
• Chiriquí, Chiriquí, Panama: 1 person.
• Santa María, Herrera, Panama: 1 person.
• San Felipe, San José, Costa Rica: 1 person.
• Puerto Cortés, Puntarenas, Costa Rica: 1 person.
• Golfito, Puntarenas, Costa Rica: 1 person.
• Tobosi, Cartago, Costa Rica: 1 person.

19 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 19 smaller aftershocks were detected. Just 58 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-5.6 was detected 4 km (2.7 mi) east of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. A 3.7 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 3rd, 2023, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 288 km (179 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on October 20th, 2022.

In total, 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 7 months.

Low tsunami risk

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 20/09/24 03:58 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000nejp
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20240722_0000212
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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