In the North Pacific Ocean 235 kilometer from David, Panama, a shallow and significant M5.4 earthquake occurred around noon of Tuesday October 20th, 2026.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 146 kilometers (91 mi) off the coast of Panama, 235 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: | Oct 20, 2026 12:05PM (Panama Time) - Oct 20, 2026 17:05 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 235 km south of David, Chiriquí, Panama. Coordinates 6°19'21"N 82°34'9"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.4 Detected by 22 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.066 . |
| 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 . Located 229 kilometer (142 mi) south of the epicenter of this earthquake, Pedregal (Chiriquí, Panama) is the nearest significant population center.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 229 km (142 mi) N from epicenter |
Pedregal Chiriquí, Panama. |
| 235 km (146 mi) N from epicenter |
David Chiriquí, Panama. |
| 244 km (152 mi) N from epicenter |
La Concepción Chiriquí, Panama. |
| 264 km (164 mi) NE from epicenter |
Santiago de Veraguas Veraguas, Panama. |
Aftershocks detected
After this earthquake struck, 1 smaller aftershock occurred. Just 13 mins after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.5 was detected 28 km (17 mi) south of this earthquake.
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.4 |
Oct 20, 2026 12:05PM (Panama Time) | - |
| Aftershock | M 4.5 |
13 mins later Oct 20, 2026 12:18PM (Panama Time) | 28 km (17 mi) S from Main Shock. |
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 October 12th, 2026, when a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit 193 km (120 mi) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck on October 9th, 2026.
In total, 42 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 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 5.4. 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 20/10/26 22:18 (). 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.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000u3nl
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20261020_0000248
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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