M6.1 Earthquake: 15 km W of Río Grande, Panama

Updated 09:05 UTC · 29 Oct 2026

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 15 km W of Río Grande, Panama at 23:20 UTC on 12 Oct 2026, at a depth of 11 km, reported by USGS. USGS PAGER issued a yellow alert: some damage and deaths are possible. USGS did not set a tsunami flag for this quake. So far 10 aftershocks of M2.5+ have been recorded within 50 km, the largest a M5.0.

M6.1

Magnitude (USGS)

mww

11 km

Depth

shallow

YELLOW

USGS PAGER impact alert

estimated impact

Aftershocks M2.5+ so far

within 50 km

[ fig. 1 ] M6.1 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, Panama15 km from the epicentre · quake was W of here · population 7115 KM
Santiago de Veraguas, Veraguas, Panama69 km from the epicentre · quake was SW of here · population 45,35569 KM
Monagrillo, Herrera, Panama118 km from the epicentre · quake was WSW of here · population 10,821118 KM
Pocrí, Coclé, Panama118 km from the epicentre · quake was WSW of here · population 12,304118 KM
San Juan Bautista, Herrera, Panama120 km from the epicentre · quake was WSW of here · population 11,798120 KM
Panama City, Panama257 km from the epicentre · quake was WSW of here · population 408,000257 KM
San Miguelito, Panama266 km from the epicentre · quake was SW of here · population 322,000266 KM
Juan Diaz, Panama268 km from the epicentre · quake was WSW of here · population 101,000268 KM
San Jose, Costa Rica378 km from the epicentre · quake was SE of here · population 335,000378 KM

MONITORWORLD APP · iOS + ANDROID

Alerts for the next quake in Panama

MonitorWorld sends a push alert when a quake hits near you or the places you follow, with magnitude, depth, distance and tsunami status.

Your own magnitude threshold
Aftershock and tsunami updates
Free, no account needed

4.7 from 52 ratings on the App Store (US)

QR code: download MonitorWorld on your phone

On a computer? Scan with your phone camera.

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 strike-slip faulting: the two sides of the fault slid sideways past each other.

At 11 km it was a very shallow quake: shallow quakes shake the ground above them hardest, so local damage depends on how close towns are.

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).

72 people sent a "Did You Feel It?" report to USGS, with the strongest reported intensity V (moderate).

Estimated shaking in nearby towns, from USGS PAGER.
Town	Population	Estimated intensity
Santiago	45,955	V (moderate)
Ocu	7,006	V (moderate)
Santa Fe	3,047	IV (light)
Pese	2,565	IV (light)
Calobre	2,514	IV (light)
Los Pozos	2,199	IV (light)
La Loma	1,844	IV (light)
Llano de Piedra	1,737	IV (light)

Aftershocks

This page counts quakes of M2.5 or more within 50 km after the main shock, from the USGS catalog (last checked 09:05 UTC, 29 Oct 2026): 10 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 244 quakes of M5 or more within 250 km of this epicentre, about 4.9 a year. Since 1900 the same circle had 73 quakes of M6.1 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 22 Oct 2026 at 18:53 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 6.1 (mww), 11 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 did not set a tsunami flag for this quake. If you are on a coast and feel strong or long shaking, move to high ground anyway, and follow local officials.

Was the earthquake felt?

Yes. 72 people reported it to USGS "Did You Feel It?", with reports up to intensity V.

Will there be more aftershocks?

Aftershocks are likely to continue for days to weeks, becoming less frequent over time. So far 10 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

MONITORWORLD APP · iOS + ANDROID

Know when the ground moves

Quake, aftershock and tsunami alerts for your places, free on iPhone and Android.

4.7 from 52 ratings on the App Store (US)

On a computer? Scan with your phone camera.

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.