M6.6 Earthquake: 12 km W of Río Grande, Panama

Updated 09:05 UTC · 29 Oct 2026

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck 12 km W of Río Grande, Panama at 20:25 UTC on 9 Oct 2026, at a depth of 24 km, reported by USGS. USGS PAGER issued a yellow alert: some damage and deaths are possible. USGS set its tsunami flag for this quake; that is not a warning, so check tsunami.gov and local officials. So far 40 aftershocks of M2.5+ have been recorded within 62 km, the largest a M6.1.

M6.6

Magnitude (USGS)

mww

24 km

Depth

shallow

YELLOW

USGS PAGER impact alert

estimated impact

Aftershocks M2.5+ so far

within 62 km

[ fig. 1 ] M6.6 EPICENTRE, AFTERSHOCKS AND PAST QUAKESThis quakeAftershock M5+AftershockPast M6+

USGS · updated 09:05 UTC 2026-10-29Tap a point for details · pinch or ctrl + scroll to zoomTrack this live in the app ›

Nearest places

Río Grande, Veraguas, Panama12 km from the epicentre · quake was W of here · population 7112 KM
Santiago de Veraguas, Veraguas, Panama67 km from the epicentre · quake was SW of here · population 45,35567 KM
Monagrillo, Herrera, Panama115 km from the epicentre · quake was WSW of here · population 10,821115 KM
Pocrí, Coclé, Panama116 km from the epicentre · quake was WSW of here · population 12,304116 KM
San Juan Bautista, Herrera, Panama117 km from the epicentre · quake was WSW of here · population 11,798117 KM
Panama City, Panama255 km from the epicentre · quake was SW of here · population 408,000255 KM
San Miguelito, Panama264 km from the epicentre · quake was SW of here · population 322,000264 KM
Juan Diaz, Panama266 km from the epicentre · quake was SW of here · population 101,000266 KM
San Jose, Costa Rica382 km from the epicentre · quake was SE of here · population 335,000382 KM

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Strongest aftershocks so far

Key context

Tectonic setting

Panama block. Panama sits on a small block of crust squeezed between the Caribbean, Cocos and Nazca plates and South America. The Panama Fracture Zone to the south and thrust belts on both sides of the isthmus carry most of the motion, so strong quakes are less frequent than in Costa Rica or Colombia but do occur.

The USGS moment tensor shows thrust (reverse) faulting: one block of crust was pushed up and over the other, the typical motion where plates converge.

At 24 km it was a shallow quake (USGS counts 0 to 70 km as shallow). Most damaging quakes are in this range.

Shaking and impact

USGS PAGER estimates the impact from the shaking and the number of people exposed. For this quake it issued a yellow alert: some damage and deaths are possible (fatality alert: green, economic loss alert: yellow). PAGER is an early estimate and can change as reports come in.

The USGS ShakeMap estimates the strongest shaking at intensity VII on the Modified Mercalli scale (very strong).

36 people sent a "Did You Feel It?" report to USGS, with the strongest reported intensity VII (very strong).

Estimated shaking in nearby towns, from USGS PAGER.
Town	Population	Estimated intensity
David	144,858	IV (light)
Aguadulce	51,668	IV (light)
Chitre	46,191	V (moderate)
Santiago	45,955	V (moderate)
Ocu	7,006	V (moderate)
Nata	6,003	V (moderate)
Parita	3,723	V (moderate)
Santa Fe	3,047	IV (light)

Aftershocks

This page counts quakes of M2.5 or more within 62 km after the main shock, from the USGS catalog (last checked 09:05 UTC, 29 Oct 2026): 40 aftershocks so far.

Aftershocks are normal after a quake of this size. They usually become less frequent over days and weeks, but a strong aftershock can still happen, and in a few sequences a later quake is larger. No one can predict their exact time or size; follow the official agency for your area.

Earthquake history within 250 km

Since 1976, USGS lists 234 quakes of M5 or more within 250 km of this epicentre, about 4.7 a year. Since 1900 the same circle had 17 quakes of M6.6 or larger.

Largest earlier quakes within 250 km, USGS catalog since 1900 (M6+).
Magnitude	Place (USGS)	Date	Depth
M7.7	12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama	2026-10-09	13 km
M7.5	44 km ESE of Burica, Panama	1934-07-18	30 km
M7.2	45 km SW of Quebrada de Piedra, Panama	1904-01-20	10 km
M7.2	59 km SSE of Burica, Panama	1962-07-26	25 km
M7.1	12 km N of Golfito, Costa Rica	1983-04-03	37 km
M7.0	56 km SSE of Cambutal, Panama	1943-05-02	20 km
M6.8	south of Panama	1934-07-18	25 km
M6.8	146 km S of Punta de Burica, Panama	1982-08-19	10 km

Official information

EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)
USGS event page for this quake (ShakeMap, PAGER, felt reports)
tsunami.gov for US tsunami bulletins

Data status

USGS review status: reviewed. Magnitude type: mww. USGS last updated this event on 14 Oct 2026 at 17:48 UTC. Magnitude, depth and location can still be revised; this page keeps the same address if they change.

Questions and answers

How strong was the earthquake near Río Grande, Panama?

USGS measured it at magnitude 6.6 (mww), 24 km deep. The strongest estimated shaking was intensity VII (very strong). Quakes of M6 to 6.9 are classed as strong.

Was there a tsunami?

USGS set its tsunami flag, which means the quake was large and in an ocean region, so the tsunami warning centres checked it. The flag is not a warning. Check tsunami.gov and your national agency for actual warnings and follow local officials.

Was the earthquake felt?

Yes. 36 people reported it to USGS "Did You Feel It?", with reports up to intensity VII.

Will there be more aftershocks?

Aftershocks are likely to continue for days to weeks, becoming less frequent over time. So far 40 aftershocks of M2.5+ have been listed. Most sequences do not produce a larger quake, but some do. No one can predict the time or size of the next one; follow EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre).

What should I do after a strong earthquake?

Expect aftershocks: Drop, Cover and Hold On when shaking starts again. Check for injuries and damage, stay out of damaged buildings, and use text messages instead of calls so emergency lines stay free. On a coast, move to high ground after strong shaking. Follow your local officials.

Related live pages

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Sources

USGS event page: magnitude, location, ShakeMap, PAGER and Did You Feel It? data for this event. Public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
USGS ComCat (FDSN event web service): the USGS earthquake catalog, used for the 30-year counts, history and aftershocks. Public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
USGS Geoserve: nearest places to the epicentre.
GeoNames: large-city coordinates, CC BY 4.0.

Page built 09:05 UTC, 2026-10-29. Full list: data sources and method.