July 26, 1962 Earthquake: Panama
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Panama on July 26, 1962 at 08:14:41 UTC, 21 km below the surface.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- July 26, 1962
- Time
- 08:14:41 UTC
- Place
- Panama
- Magnitude
- 7.4 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 21 km (13 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 7.500° N, 82.000° W
- Country
- Panama
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
July 26, 1962, 08:14:44.8 UTC, 7.4 N, 82.7 WW, depth 33 km, magnitude 6.75. Felt at Balboa Heights. (reference #45)
July 26, 1962, 08:14:41.8 UTC, 7.5 N, 82.7 W, depth 21 km, magnitude 7.4. Major earthquake off the south coast of Panama. (reference #1040)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- April 3, 1983, W, SE, Panama, Costa Rica
- December 5, 1941, Costa Rica-Panama
- December 25, 2003, Puerto Armuelles, Panama-Costa Rica
- July 18, 1934, Panama-Costa Rica
- July 31, 2002, Laurel, Baru, Alanje, David, Costa Rica, Panama
- March 12, 1962, Costa Rica-Panama
- February 4, 2004, Chiriqui, Panama-Costa Rica
- November 19, 2008, Paso Canoa, David, Puerto Armuelles, Panama
- July 1, 1979, Puerto Armuelles, Panama-Costa Rica
- May 26, 2008, Panama-Costa Rica
- August 5, 1854, Costa Rica-Panama
- August 7, 1854, Costa Rica-Panama
- April 30, 1950, Panama
- October 2, 1913, Azuero Peninsula, Panama
- May 4, 2006, Boquete, Panama
More
Significant earthquakes of 1962The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1962Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4268.