M6.3 Earthquake 73 km S of Boca Chica, Panama — April 4, 2023
2023-04-04 22:18:12 UTC (2023-04-04) · approx. 5:18 PM UTC-5 local
Felt by 235 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 5.4 (strong).
On April 4, 2023 at 22:18 UTC, a magnitude 6.3 shallow crustal earthquake struck 73 km S of Boca Chica, Panama, at a depth of 16.0 km and coordinates 7.5671°, -82.3345°. The earthquake was reported felt by 235 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 5.4 (strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 320 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 785, making it a moderate-impact event. The nearest populated place is Pedregal (population 16,285).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 43 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 13 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 5.4 (strong), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Moderate shaking that everyone in the area would feel. Sleeping people are awakened. Dishes and windows may break. Unstable objects may be knocked over.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 235 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 75,407 |
| MMI 4 | light | 1,168,055 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 237,050 |
Earthquake Details
-82.3345°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 6.3 earthquake near Boca Chica, Panama?
The magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck 73 km S of Boca Chica, Panama on April 4, 2023 at 22:18 UTC had a depth of 16.0 km. It was felt by 235 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 5.4 (strong). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 7.5671°, -82.3345°, which is 73 km S of Boca Chica, Panama. The nearest populated place is Pedregal (population 16,285).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 6.3 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000k20g). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, April 4, 2023). M6.3 Earthquake 73 km S of Boca Chica, Panama — April 4, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2024 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000k20g/