Shallow M5.8 Earthquake struck on Saturday Afternoon in the North Pacific Ocean 104km from David (Panama).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 9th, 2024. Last updated November 20th, 2024.

In the North Pacific Ocean 104 kilometer from David, Panama, a shallow and significant M5.8 earthquake occurred in the afternoon of Saturday November 9th, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 1.4 million people. Costa Rica is also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 58 kilometers (36 mi) off the coast of Panama, 104 kilometer south of David in Chiriquí. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Nov 9, 2024 02:30PM (Panama Time) - Nov 9, 2024 19:30 Universal Time.
Location:	104 km south of David, Chiriquí, Panama. Coordinates 7°29'48"N 82°23'44"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.8 Detected by 50 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.044 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate 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.

Minimal impact predicted

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 GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 1.4 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 1.4 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 613,100 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 0.8 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Panama , around 1.2 million people, with impact levels up to IV (light shaking, likely no damage). In Costa Rica , around 290 thousand people.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Panama and Costa Rica are both within 300km distance of its epicenter.

Located 98 kilometer (61 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Pedregal (Chiriquí, Panama) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Pedregal is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Panamá is located 358 km to the east-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). San José is located 328 km to the northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). San Miguelito is located 365 km to the east-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.

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 354 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 354 people have reported shaking in 9 places, all within Panama.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• Las Lomas, Chiriquí, Panama: 114 people.
• Los Algarrobos, Chiriquí, Panama: 69 people.
• Bágala, Chiriquí, Panama: 29 people.
• Canoa, Chiriquí, Panama: 26 people.
• David, Chiriquí, Panama: 26 people.
• Pedregal, Chiriquí, Panama: 26 people.
• Cerro Sombrero, Ngöbe Buglé, Panama: 26 people.
• Alanje, Chiriquí, Panama: 22 people.
• Gualaca, Chiriquí, Panama: 16 people.

4 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 4 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 66 km (41 mi) south-southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 1 hr later. It measured a magnitude of 4.2

This main shock was prefaced by 5 smaller foreshocks. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 9 hrs earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

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 26th, 2024, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit 14 km (9 mi) further east-southeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on October 20th, 2022.

In total, 17 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.8 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 20/11/24 20:18 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000nqwx
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241109_0000218
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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