On Friday Afternoon a Shallow M5.2 AFTERSHOCK struck near Santiago de Veraguas in Panama.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 9th, 2026. Last updated October 10th, 2026.

A shallow and significant M5.2 aftershock struck under land 60 kilometer from Santiago de Veraguas in Panama in the afternoon of Friday October 9th, 2026.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Panama, 60 kilometer (37 mi) southwest of Santiago de Veraguas in Veraguas. 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:	Oct 9, 2026 02:48PM (Panama Time) - Oct 9, 2026 19:48 Universal Time.
Location:	60 km SW of Santiago de Veraguas, Veraguas, Panama. Coordinates 7°38'30"N 81°16'4"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.2 Detected by 451 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.027 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (2 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to 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 Santiago de Veraguas in Veraguas, Panama. Santiago de Veraguas is located 60 kilometer (37 mi) southwest of the epicenter.

Major cities near this earthquake: Panamá is located 244 km to the north-east. San Miguelito is located 252 km to the north-east. Juan Díaz is located 254 km to the north-east.

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake.

Overview of nearby places

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 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:

• Cartago, Cartago, Costa Rica: 1 person.

This is likely an aftershock

This earthquake is likely an aftershock of the MAG-7.7 earthquake that struck 2 hrs earlier. That main earthquake hit 55 km (34 mi) east of the epicenter of this MAG-5.2 aftershock.

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. In total, 42 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.

Tsunami very unlikely

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 10/10/26 02:08 (). 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 us6000u19h
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261009_0000294
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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