M7.7 Earthquake 12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama — October 9, 2026
2026-10-09 17:56:06 UTC (1 hour ago) · approx. 12:56 PM UTC-5 local
Felt by 407 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 8.5 (violent).
On October 9, 2026 at 17:56 UTC, a magnitude 7.7 shallow crustal earthquake struck 12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama, at a depth of 12.6 km and coordinates 7.5868°, -80.7690°. The earthquake was reported felt by 407 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 8.5 (violent). The USGS PAGER system issued a red alert level for this event, indicating widespread severe impact likely. This earthquake was detected by 108 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 2346, making it one of the most significant global earthquakes in recent days. The nearest populated place is Llano de Piedra (population 1,737).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 5.4 megatons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 124 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 8.5 (violent), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Severe shaking causing considerable damage. Buildings may shift off foundations. Walls crack and may partially collapse. Heavy furniture overturned.
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 407 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 4 | light | 565,195 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 2,949,113 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 1,050,887 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 542,156 |
| MMI 8 | severe | 66,584 |
Earthquake Details
-80.7690°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 7.7 earthquake near Pitaloza Arriba, Panama?
The magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck 12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama on October 9, 2026 at 17:56 UTC had a depth of 12.6 km. It was felt by 407 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 8.5 (violent). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 7.5868°, -80.7690°, which is 12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama. The nearest populated place is Llano de Piedra (population 1,737).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 7.7 earthquakes can continue for months to years and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000u18k). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, October 9, 2026). M7.7 Earthquake 12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama — October 9, 2026. Retrieved October 9, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000u18k/