M6.0 Earthquake near La Tronosa, Panama — 10 October 2026
A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.0 was recorded near La Tronosa, Panama on , with an epicentre 7 km north of La Tronosa, at a focal depth of 10.0 km. It ranked as the 4th strongest of 36 earthquakes recorded in Panama in the preceding 30 days.
Time (UTC): 2026-10-10 04:14:01
Time (your timezone): —
Magnitude: 6.0 (strong)
Focal depth: 10.0 km (shallow)
Epicentre: 7.5068, -80.5985
Location: 7 km N of La Tronosa, Panama
Country: Panama
USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked
Review status: Reviewed
Source: USGS event page
How strong was this earthquake?
Strong earthquakes can cause significant damage in populated areas within roughly 100 km of the epicentre, particularly to older masonry buildings. Landslides and liquefaction become a real risk in susceptible ground.
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake radiates roughly 15,080 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 653, which meets the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.
What the magnitude scale actually measures →
When it happened locally
That is about 22:51 local solar time at the epicentre, late at night.
This event was shallower than 100% of the 75 earthquakes recorded in Panama in our catalogue and stronger than 89% of them.
Where was the epicentre?
The epicentre was located at 7.5068, -80.5985 — 7 km north of La Tronosa. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 4.7 earthquake 1 km northeast of here on 09 October 2026.
The nearest other settlements in our records are El Cortezo (10 km west-southwest), Arenas (133 km southwest), Boca Chica (187 km west) and Tobobe (202 km north-northwest).
Why the 10 km depth matters
At 10 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.
This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size can produce strong, widely felt shaking. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.
Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →
What does the tsunami information flag mean?
The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M6.0 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.
How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →
Aftershocks and local seismic history
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.
52 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 8.0 event near Pitaloza Arriba on 09 October 2026. This M6.0 event released about 1,000 times less energy than that event.
35 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 33 of them in the past 30 days.
How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →
Where this event sits in the record
This earthquake is part of the October 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Panama during October 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.
Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre
- M4.7 earthquake near La Tronosa, Panama — (1 km NE)
- M4.7 earthquake near La Tronosa, Panama — (2 km ENE)
- M4.7 earthquake near La Tronosa, Panama — (3 km NNE)
- M4.6 earthquake near La Tronosa, Panama — (5 km ENE)
- M5.0 earthquake near La Tronosa, Panama — (7 km SE)
- M4.6 earthquake near El Cortezo, Panama — (10 km WSW)
- M5.0 earthquake near La Tronosa, Panama — (15 km SSE)
- M8.0 earthquake near Pitaloza Arriba, Panama — (17 km WNW)
- M5.1 earthquake near Tonosí, Panama — (21 km ESE)
- M7.7 earthquake near Pitaloza Arriba, Panama — (21 km WNW)
Other recent earthquakes in Panama
- M4.7 earthquake near La Tronosa, Panama —
- M4.5 earthquake near Río Grande, Panama —
- M5.1 earthquake near Tonosí, Panama —
- M4.6 earthquake near Río Grande, Panama —
- M4.7 earthquake near La Tronosa, Panama —
- M4.6 earthquake near La Tronosa, Panama —
- M4.0 earthquake near Pedasí, Panama —
- M4.8 earthquake near Cañas, Panama —
- M4.7 earthquake near Río Grande, Panama —
- M4.5 earthquake near Pedasí, Panama —
Other magnitude 6 earthquakes worldwide
- M5.8 earthquake near El Cacao, Panama —
- M5.9 earthquake near west of Macquarie Island —
- M5.8 earthquake near Severo-Kuril’sk, Russia —
- M5.9 earthquake near Tambolaka, Indonesia —
- M5.8 earthquake near Vilyuchinsk, Russia —
- M5.9 earthquake near Lospalos, Timor-Leste —
- M6.2 earthquake near Nikolski, United States —
- M6.2 earthquake near South Sandwich Islands region —
Questions about this earthquake
How strong was the earthquake near La Tronosa?
It measured magnitude 6.0 — a strong earthquake. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake radiates roughly 15,080 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.
How deep was the earthquake near La Tronosa?
The focus was 10 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.
Was the La Tronosa earthquake felt at the surface?
At magnitude 6.0 and a focal depth of 10 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.
When did the earthquake near La Tronosa happen?
10 October 2026 at 04:14 UTC.
Was there a tsunami?
No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.
Have there been aftershocks?
No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre since this event was recorded.
How often do earthquakes happen near La Tronosa?
52 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 8.0 event near Pitaloza Arriba on 09 October 2026. This M6.0 event released about 1,000 times less energy than that event.