6.2

M6.2 Earthquake 124 km SSE of Burica, PanamaMarch 21, 2025

2025-03-21 14:50:51 UTC (2025-03-21) · approx. 9:50 AM UTC-5 local

Felt by 82 people across nearby locations. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 4.6 (moderate).

MagnitudeM6.2(mww)
Time14:50 UTC9:50 AM UTC-5
Depth10.0 kmshallow crustal
Coordinates6.986°, -82.467°
Felt by82DYFI responses· max MMI 4.6
Status✓ Reviewed by USGS· Tsunami evaluation· green PAGER
green Alertno significant casualties or damage expected
Tsunami Warning Issued

On March 21, 2025 at 14:50 UTC, a magnitude 6.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 124 km SSE of Burica, Panama, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 6.9863°, -82.4666°. The earthquake was reported felt by 82 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.6 (moderate). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 266 seismic stations with good location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 641, making it a moderate-impact event. The nearest populated place is Pedregal (population 16,285).

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 30 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 11 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Nearest Populated Places

Pedregalpop. 16,285
MMI 4.1 (moderate)
Palo Grandepop. 0
MMI 4.1 (moderate)
Querevalopop. 0
MMI 4.1 (moderate)
La Esperanzapop. 1,952
MMI 4.1 (moderate)
Guarumalpop. 1,526
MMI 4.1 (moderate)
Santo Tomaspop. 0
MMI 4.1 (moderate)
Map showing earthquake epicenter at 6.99°, -82.47°

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 M6.2 earthquake near 124 km SSE of Burica, Panama

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

Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking

Aggregated felt-report intensity from 82 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 M6.2 earthquake near 124 km SSE of Burica, 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 3weak220,037
MMI 4light991,783

Earthquake Details

Magnitude
6.2 mww
Depth
10.0 km
shallow crustal
Location
6.9863°N
-82.4666°E
Felt Reports
82
DYFI responses
Intensity (MMI)
4.6
moderate
Community Intensity
6.1
CDI from reports

Technical Information

Event ID
us7000pllt
Event Type
earthquake
Status
✓ Reviewed
Significance
641
Stations Used
266
Azimuthal Gap
92.0°
Min Station Distance
2.389°
RMS Residual
0.82 sec
Last Updated
2025-05-29 17:36:28 UTC

Common Questions

How strong was the magnitude 6.2 earthquake near Burica, Panama?

The magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck 124 km SSE of Burica, Panama on March 21, 2025 at 14:50 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 82 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.6 (moderate). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.

Where did the earthquake occur?

The earthquake epicenter was located at 6.9863°, -82.4666°, which is 124 km SSE of Burica, 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 6.2 earthquakes can continue for weeks to months and gradually diminish over time.

Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000pllt). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.

Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2025, March 21, 2025). M6.2 Earthquake 124 km SSE of Burica, PanamaMarch 21, 2025. Retrieved May 29, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000pllt/