Shallow M6.1 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean near Santiago de Veraguas (Panama) on Monday Evening.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on October 12th, 2026. Last updated October 13th, 2026.

A shallow and strong MAG-6.1 earthquake struck in the North Pacific Ocean 72 kilometer from Santiago de Veraguas, Panama in the evening of Monday October 12th, 2026. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 620 thousand people. Costa Rica is also near its epicenter.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, right off the coast of Panama, 72 kilometer southwest of Santiago de Veraguas in Veraguas. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 11 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Oct 12, 2026 06:20PM (Panama Time) - Oct 12, 2026 23:20 Universal Time.
Location:	72 km SW of Santiago de Veraguas, Veraguas, Panama. Coordinates 7°41'23"N 81°29'23"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.1 Detected by 77 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.035 .
Depth:	11 km (7 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VIII Severe 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 620 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 620 thousand 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 VII, which corresponds with very strong shaking and likely moderate damage. Roughly 670 people are expected to be exposed to this level. Intensity level IV was experienced by the majority of people (around 460 thousand). In their region, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. All exposure to shaking was within the borders of Panama .

Nearby towns and cities

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

Santiago de Veraguas in Veraguas, Panama is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 72 kilometer (45 mi) southwest of Santiago de Veraguas. The intensity of shaking and damage in Santiago de Veraguas is estimated to be around level V on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (moderate shaking, very light damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Panamá is located 261 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). San Miguelito is located 269 km to the north-east (intensity unknown, possibly low). San José is located 379 km to the northwest (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 maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is VII. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

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 67 people in 2 countries

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 67 people have reported shaking in 33 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: 15 people.
• San Miguelito, Panamá, Panama: 7 people.
• Almirante, Bocas del Toro, Panama: 5 people.
• Volcán, Chiriquí, Panama: 3 people.
• Nuevo Guararé, Panamá, Panama: 3 people.
• Arraiján, Panamá, Panama: 2 people.
• Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama: 2 people.
• Changuinola, Bocas del Toro, Panama: 2 people.
• Ancón, Panamá, Panama: 2 people.
• Soná, Veraguas, Panama: 2 people.

33 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 33 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 16 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.9 was detected 5 km (3 mi) north of this earthquake.

This main shock was prefaced by 206 smaller foreshocks. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 3 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 4.9

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

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.

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 9th, 2026, when a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit 4 km (2.4 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck on October 9th, 2026.

In total, 8 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.1 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 year.

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 13/10/26 09:28 (). 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 us6000u1wn
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261012_0000435
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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