Shallow M6.5 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 137km from David (Panama) on Friday Morning.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on March 21st, 2025. Last updated March 24th, 2025.

In the North Pacific Ocean 137 kilometer from David, Panama, a shallow and strong Magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurred in the morning of Friday March 21st, 2025. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Costa Rica is also near its epicenter.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 57 kilometers (35 mi) off the coast of Panama, 137 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:	Mar 21, 2025 09:50AM (Panama Time) - Mar 21, 2025 14:50 Universal Time.
Location:	137 km south of David, Chiriquí, Panama. Coordinates 7°12'0"N 82°18'0"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.5 Detected by 67 stations.
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Nearby towns and cities

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

Pedregal in Chiriquí, Panama is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 132 kilometer (82 mi) south of Pedregal.

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Panamá is located 365 km to the north-east. San José is located 362 km to the north-northwest. San Miguelito is located 373 km to the north-east.

A complete list of nearby places is included below.

Overview of nearby places

Shaking reported by 9 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 9 people have reported shaking in 8 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:

• Panamá, Panamá, Panama: 2 people.
• Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama: 1 person.
• Horconcitos, Chiriquí, Panama: 1 person.
• Palmira, Chiriquí, Panama: 1 person.
• Quiteño, Chiriquí, Panama: 1 person.
• San Miguelito, Panamá, Panama: 1 person.
• Santiago, Veraguas, Panama: 1 person.
• Quepos, Puntarenas, Costa Rica: 1 person.

2 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. At a distance of 23 km (15 mi) southwest of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 days later. It measured a magnitude of 3.6

Before this earthquake struck, 2 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 5 sec earlier. It measured a magnitude of 6.2

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.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

This is an unusually powerful earthquake

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 20th, 2022, when a 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit 55 km (34 mi) further north. That was also the heaviest earthquake to hit the region in the past 10 years.

In total, 2 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.5 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 5 years.

Sources

Last updated 24/03/25 03:48 (). 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 at00sthakw
2. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
3. Google Maps: Static API
4. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: