Panama earthquakes

M5.3 earthquake 16 km SSE of Punta de Burica, Panama

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 16 km SSE of Punta de Burica, Panama on Tue, Jul 30, 2002, 11:45 PM EST (04:45 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.0 20 km S of Punta de Burica, Panama. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.3 (Mwc, centroid moment), moderate
Magnitude from
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time
UTC
2002-07-31 04:45:14 UTC
Depth
10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
7.909° N, 82.786° W
Region
Panama
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.ScaleComputed byNotes
5.3Mwc, centroid momentUSGS National Earthquake Information CenterPreferred · Reviewed
5.25Mw, momentISC-GEM global catalogFinal · ±0.1
5.2Mwc, centroid momentGlobal CMT projectPreliminary

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Fault motion and ground failure

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Faulting
Strike-slip
Nodal plane 1
Strike 261°, dip 45°, rake 28°
Nodal plane 2
Strike 150°, dip 71°, rake 131°

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Depth from
OPERATOR_ASSIGNED
Stations used
140

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 19 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.738 km S of Punta de Burica, Panama · 8828 days ago · 10 km deep · 27 km away
  2. 4.014 km SSW of Punta de Burica, Panama · 8828 days ago · 10 km deep · 16 km away
  3. 4.816 km SW of Punta de Burica, Panama · 8828 days ago · 10 km deep · 19 km away
  4. 5.233 km SSE of Punta de Burica, Panama · 8826 days ago · 10 km deep · 18 km away
  5. 5.84 km ESE of Puerto Armuelles, Panama · 8825 days ago · 10 km deep · 40 km away
  6. 4.45 km N of Limones, Panama · 8824 days ago · 10 km deep · 28 km away
  7. 6.020 km S of Punta de Burica, Panama · 8820 days ago · 10 km deep · 14 km away
  8. 4.216 km SW of Punta de Burica, Panama · 8819 days ago · 0 km deep · 19 km away
  9. 4.38 km S of Puerto Armuelles, Panama · 8808 days ago · 13 km deep · 34 km away
  10. 4.527 km WSW of Puerto Armuelles, Panama · 8808 days ago · 33 km deep · 48 km away
  11. 4.114 km SSE of Punta de Burica, Panama · 8807 days ago · 14 km deep · 5 km away
  12. 4.25 km E of Puerto Armuelles, Panama · 8805 days ago · 6 km deep · 40 km away
  13. 4.65 km SSE of La Esperanza, Panama · 8801 days ago · 42 km deep · 51 km away
  14. 4.68 km NNE of Limones, Panama · 8801 days ago · 10 km deep · 30 km away
  15. 4.85 km ESE of Puerto Armuelles, Panama · 8801 days ago · 10 km deep · 38 km away
  16. 4.04 km NW of El Palmar, Panama · 8785 days ago · 13 km deep · 49 km away
  17. 4.33 km NW of Manaca Norte, Panama · 8774 days ago · 1 km deep · 50 km away
  18. 4.05 km WNW of El Palmar, Panama · 8774 days ago · 1 km deep · 47 km away
  19. 4.33 km SSW of Limones, Panama · 8773 days ago · 15 km deep · 21 km away

Before

  1. 4.60 km NNE of Puerto Armuelles, Panama · 8828 days ago · 10 km deep · 42 km away
  2. 5.211 km NE of Limones, Panama · 8828 days ago · 10 km deep · 29 km away
  3. 4.40 km SSE of Limones, Panama · 8828 days ago · 10 km deep · 22 km away
  4. 6.514 km SE of Punta de Burica, Panama · 8828 days ago · 10 km deep · 2 km away
  5. 4.63 km WSW of Finca Blanco, Panama · 8832 days ago · 33 km deep · 53 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp000b92g (also filed as gcmtb073102c, gcmt20020731044514, iscgem3236353). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 4:24 AM UTC.