M5.9 earthquake 51 km SSW of Río Grande, Panama
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 51 km SSW of Río Grande, Panama on Thu, May 16, 1940, 8:59 PM GMT-5 (01:59 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M6.4 south of Panama. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (mw), moderate
- Local time
- UTC
- 1940-05-17 01:59:43 UTC
- Depth
- 15.0 km (9.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 7.316° N, 81.572° W
- Region
- Panama
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.20
- Depth from
- From location
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 1 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayPanama earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem901331. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 2:07 PM UTC.