5.7

M5.7 Earthquake 8 km SE of Puerto Armuelles, PanamaJuly 22, 2024

2024-07-22 19:19:35 UTC (2024-07-22) · approx. 1:19 PM UTC-6 local

Felt by 33 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.5 (very strong).

MagnitudeM5.7(mww)
Time19:19 UTC1:19 PM UTC-6
Depth7.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates8.220°, -82.808°
Felt by33DYFI responses· max MMI 6.5
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· green PAGER
green Alertno significant casualties or damage expected

On July 22, 2024 at 19:19 UTC, a magnitude 5.7 shallow crustal earthquake struck 8 km SE of Puerto Armuelles, Panama, at a depth of 7.0 km and coordinates 8.2200°, -82.8075°. The earthquake was reported felt by 33 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 6.5 (very 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 145 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 518, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Puerto Armuelles (population 18,795).

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 5 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 5.2 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Nearest Populated Places

Puerto Armuellespop. 18,795
MMI 6.3 (very strong)
Finca Corredorpop. 1,372
MMI 6.0 (very strong)
Finca Blancopop. 1,618
MMI 5.8 (strong)
La Esperanzapop. 1,952
MMI 5.8 (strong)
Limonespop. 0
MMI 5.7 (strong)
Santo Tomaspop. 0
MMI 5.5 (strong)
Map showing earthquake epicenter at 8.22°, -82.81°

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.

USGS ShakeMap intensity contours for the M5.7 earthquake near 8 km SE of Puerto Armuelles, Panama

Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 33 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.

USGS DYFI community-reported intensity map for the M5.7 earthquake near 8 km SE of Puerto Armuelles, Panama

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)DescriptionPopulation exposed
MMI 3weak3,552,628
MMI 4light614,814
MMI 5moderate160,184
MMI 6strong55,779

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
5.7 mww
Depth
7.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
8.2200°N
-82.8075°E
Felt Reports
33
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
6.5
very strong
Community Intensity
5.5
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us6000nejp
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
518
Stations Used
145
Azimuthal Gap
110.0°
Min Station Distance
0.541°
RMS Residual
0.86 sec
Last Updated
2025-03-21 15:10:29 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 5.7 earthquake near Puerto Armuelles, Panama?

The magnitude 5.7 earthquake that struck 8 km SE of Puerto Armuelles, Panama on July 22, 2024 at 19:19 UTC had a depth of 7.0 km. It was felt by 33 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 6.5 (very strong). For context, this was a moderate earthquake that could be widely felt.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 8.2200°, -82.8075°, which is 8 km SE of Puerto Armuelles, Panama. The nearest populated place is Puerto Armuelles (population 18,795).

Were there aftershocks?

Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 5.7 earthquakes can continue for days to weeks and gradually diminish over time.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000nejp). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, July 22, 2024). M5.7 Earthquake 8 km SE of Puerto Armuelles, PanamaJuly 22, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000nejp/