USGS · October 9, 2026

Magnitude 5.3 earthquake near Las Tablas, Panama

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake was recorded near 21 km NE of Pedasí, Panama on Oct 9, 2026, 01:01 PM (local time at the epicentre — EST, UTC-5), at a depth of about 10.0 km, according to USGS.

USGSShallow (0–70 km)Reviewed by a seismologist

Updated 2026-10-26 10:24 UTC

The full record

Magnitude: M 5.3 · body-wave magnitude
Location: 21 km NE of Pedasí, Panama
Local time at the epicentre: Oct 9, 2026, 01:01 PM — EST, UTC-5
Time (UTC): 2026-10-09 18:01 UTC
Depth: 10.0 km · Shallow (0–70 km)
Coordinates: 7.680, -79.910
Felt reports: No “Did You Feel It?” reports submitted
Tsunami: No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.
Significance: 432 / 1000 · notable event
Solution quality: 47 seismic stations used · 295° azimuthal gap (less well-constrained epicentre)
Review status: Reviewed by a seismologist
Catalog: USGS

Open the official catalog record

Epicentre and nearby recent earthquakes

The highlighted circle is this earthquake. Smaller circles are other events recorded nearby in the last 30 days.

What the shaking was like

Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

No intensity estimate was published for this event, which is usual for small earthquakes far from populated areas.

Felt it yourself? USGS collects first-hand reports through “Did You Feel It?”, and those reports are what produce the community intensity above.

Who lives nearby

About 3,586 people live in towns within 30 km of the epicentre, and 189,781 within 100 km. Distances are from the epicentre to the town centre.

Place	Distance	Population
Mariabé	20.1 km WSW	—
Pedasí	21.1 km SW	1,920
Pocrí	23.2 km W	494
Lajamina	26.5 km WSW	330
Paraíso	27.5 km W	234
Paritilla	29.7 km W	608
Los Asientos	30.5 km SW	430
La Palma	31.1 km W	1,144
El Cañafístulo	36.1 km W	141
Bella Vista	36.4 km W	1,104

Earthquake history in this area

No earthquake of magnitude 4.5+ has been recorded within 200 km of this epicentre since 1960.

Other earthquakes near this epicentre

43 other events within 100 km in the last 30 days.

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Frequently asked questions

How strong was the 21 km NE of Pedasí, Panama earthquake?

Magnitude 5.3 (body-wave magnitude), at a depth of 10.0 km. Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

Exactly when did it happen?

Oct 9, 2026, 01:01 PM (local time at the epicentre — EST, UTC-5). In universal time: 2026-10-09 18:01 UTC.

Was it felt?

No “Did You Feel It?” reports were submitted for this event. Small earthquakes usually pass unnoticed except very close to the epicentre.

Was there a tsunami warning?

No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.

Which towns are closest to the epicentre?

The closest is Mariabé, 20.1 km WSW.

Are earthquakes normal in this area?

43 further events were recorded within 100 km of the epicentre in the last 30 days.

How do I get alerts for the next earthquake here?

Install the free SeismoWatch Android app, draw a box over this area, set a minimum magnitude, and turn alerts on.

About this page

Event data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), in Venezuela FUNVISIS and in Brazil the RSBR through the Centro de Sismologia da USP. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.