In the evening of Tuesday August 4th, 2026, a shallow and significant MAG-5.1 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 283 kilometer from David, Panama.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 185 kilometers (115 mi) off the coast of Panama, 283 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: | Aug 4, 2026 11:19PM (Panama Time) - Aug 5, 2026 04:19 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 283 km south of David, Chiriquí, Panama. Coordinates 5°53'4"N 82°31'57"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 30 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.057 . |
| 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
This earthquake may have been felt in Panama . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Pedregal in Chiriquí, Panama. Pedregal is located 277 kilometer (172 mi) south of the epicenter.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 277 km (172 mi) N from epicenter |
Pedregal Chiriquí, Panama. |
| 283 km (176 mi) N from epicenter |
David Chiriquí, Panama. |
| 293 km (182 mi) N from epicenter |
La Concepción Chiriquí, Panama. |
| 300 km (186 mi) NE from epicenter |
Santiago de Veraguas Veraguas, Panama. |
Shaking reported by 1 person
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 1 person has reported shaking in one place in 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:
- Soná, Veraguas, Panama: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
In the days before this main shock, 2 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.7
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 3.7 |
2 days earlier Aug 2, 2026 08:45PM (Panama Time) | 92 km (57 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.5 |
2 days earlier Aug 3, 2026 01:17AM (Panama Time) | 89 km (55 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Aug 4, 2026 11:19PM (Panama Time) | - |
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.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this 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 March 19th, 2026, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit 78 km (49 mi) further south. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on October 20th, 2022.
In total, 49 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 2 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 5.1. 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 26/08/26 06:58 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000ti6z
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260805_0000062
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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