Just after midnight of Thursday March 5th, 2026, a shallow and significant M5.2 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 145 kilometer from David, Panama. Another nearby country is Costa Rica.
Felt the earthquake? Share this article: 
Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 66 kilometers (41 mi) off the coast of Panama, 145 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 5, 2026 12:21AM (Panama Time) - Mar 5, 2026 05:21 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 145 km south of David, Chiriquí, Panama. Coordinates 7°7'48"N 82°21'12"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.2 Detected by 18 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.073 . |
| Depth: | 10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Panama and Costa Rica .
Located 139 kilometer (86 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Pedregal (Chiriquí, Panama) is the nearest significant population center.
A complete list of nearby places is included below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 139 km (86 mi) N from epicenter |
Pedregal Chiriquí, Panama. |
| 145 km (90 mi) N from epicenter |
David Chiriquí, Panama. |
| 157 km (98 mi) N from epicenter |
La Concepción Chiriquí, Panama. |
| 186 km (116 mi) NE from epicenter |
Santiago de Veraguas Veraguas, Panama. |
| 256 km (159 mi) N from epicenter |
Changuinola Bocas del Toro, Panama. |
| 269 km (167 mi) NE from epicenter |
Penonomé Coclé, Panama. |
| 289 km (180 mi) NW from epicenter |
San Isidro San José, Costa Rica. |
Risk of aftershocks?
This earthquake did not have any significant foreshocks nor aftershocks occurring within 100km (62 mi) of its epicenter.
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.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).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 December 17th, 2025, when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit 53 km (33 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on October 20th, 2022.
In total, 44 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 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 3 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
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 10 km (6 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 01/04/26 01:58 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000s268
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260305_0000092
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
Share this article:
