Shallow M5.8 Earthquake struck on Saturday Afternoon in the North Pacific Ocean 101km from David (Panama).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 9th, 2024. Last updated December 21st, 2024.

A shallow and significant M5.8 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 101 kilometer from David, Panama in the afternoon of Saturday November 9th, 2024. Roughly 1.5 million people may have felt this earthquake. Another nearby country is Costa Rica.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 57 kilometers (35 mi) off the coast of Panama, 101 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:	101 km south of David, Chiriquí, Panama. Coordinates 7°31'18"N 82°23'22"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 1.5 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 1.5 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is IV, which corresponds with light shaking and likely no damage. Roughly 645,300 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 0.8 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is 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 300 thousand people.

Nearby towns and cities

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

Pedregal in Chiriquí, Panama is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 95 kilometer (59 mi) south of Pedregal. Pedregal experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Panamá is located 356 km to the east-northeast (intensity unknown, possibly low). San José is located 326 km to the northwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). San Miguelito is located 363 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. Just 1 hr after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.2 was detected 69 km (43 mi) south-southwest of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 7 smaller foreshocks. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 9 hrs earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

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 15 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 21/12/24 01:18 (). 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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