Earth
Panama Earthquake: Why a 7.7 Just Hit
A powerful, shallow quake shook Panama's Azuero Peninsula in October 2026. The Short explains that Panama rides on its own small plate, hemmed in by four bigger ones, and that this time the crust slipped sideways rather than one plate sliding under another. It also covers early damage counts and the effect on the Panama Canal.
The numbers
- USGS rated the 9 October 2026 quake M7.7; Panama's own institute measured 7.2.
- It was shallow, about 8 miles (12.6 km) deep, on a left-lateral strike-slip fault.
- The epicentre was roughly 120 miles (200 km) from the Panama Canal.
- Early counts: 2,097 buildings and at least 9 bridges damaged, 27 injured, no deaths.
- More than 100 aftershocks followed, including an M6.1 on 12 October.
Sources cited in the video: USGS · Sinaproc · Associated Press · Panama Canal Authority · NASA Earth Observatory
