By GlobalDeskNews Staff · October 9, 2026
What happened: Panama earthquake 7.6
The Panama earthquake 7.6 struck on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 17:56 GMT — 12:56 p.m. local time in Panama — according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The powerful tremor hit at a shallow depth of just 10 kilometers, with its epicenter about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the small town of Pitaloza Arriba in south-central Panama, near the country’s southern Pacific coast. USA Today reported the epicenter sat just under nine miles southwest of Pitaloza Arriba.
The USGS first put the quake at magnitude 8.0, then revised it to 7.6 as more seismic data arrived. Early estimates often shift in the first hour — the first figure comes from automated readings, and scientists refine it as stations report in. Even at 7.6, this was a major, shallow quake, felt across a wide area.
File photo: the Panama City skyline. Buildings across the capital shook when the 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck on October 9, 2026. (No photographs of the earthquake itself were available at publication time.) (Photo: Marissa Strniste, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
Epicenter near Pitaloza Arriba, depth 10 km
The Pitaloza Arriba earthquake epicenter sat in one of Panama’s quieter corners — a small, remote community in the country’s south-central region, close to the southern coast. The 10 km distance from the town put the quake practically on its doorstep, and the shallow 10 km depth meant the energy had little earth to travel through before reaching the surface. Shallow quakes like this 7.6 magnitude earthquake at 10 km depth in Panama are often felt more strongly than deeper ones of the same size, because less of their force fades underground.
Map: Panama in Central America. The October 9, 2026 earthquake’s epicenter was near Pitaloza Arriba in south-central Panama, close to the southern Pacific coast. (Map: Addicted04, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
Tsunami warning from Panama to Hawaii
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said hazardous tsunami waves could reach parts of the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico within three hours of the earthquake. It also flagged a potential tsunami threat to Hawaii. The tsunami warning stretching from Panama to Hawaii put emergency officials across the region on alert.
New Zealand, meanwhile, was told it had nothing to fear. The country’s National Emergency Management Agency said the quake was unlikely to have caused a tsunami that could reach New Zealand, 1News reported. A tsunami warning, it’s worth remembering, describes what could happen in the hours after a quake — not confirmation that waves have arrived.
Tremors felt in Panama City and Costa Rica
The Panama City earthquake felt today sent frightened residents pouring into the streets of the capital, where buildings shook as the tremor passed through. AFP described panic in the capital. Television footage showed people evacuating buildings after the tremors, gathering outside to wait for news. The shaking didn’t stop at the border, either — Reuters witnesses reported the quake was felt in San José, the capital of neighboring Costa Rica (via ynetnews), a reminder of how far the energy from a shallow magnitude 7.6 quake can travel.
File photo: the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal, the iconic waterway near Panama’s capital. The 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck south-central Panama on October 9, 2026. (No photographs of the earthquake itself were available at publication time.) (Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
Why the magnitude changed from 8.0 to 7.6
If you’re wondering why the number moved, that’s routine. The USGS puts out its first magnitude within minutes, using automated readings from the nearest seismic stations. As data streams in from stations farther away, seismologists refine the calculation — and the figure can shift up or down. Here it shifted down, from 8.0 to 7.6. The change doesn’t alter what people felt on the ground, but it matters for tsunami modeling and damage estimates, which is why agencies update the figure as soon as they can.
Why it matters
A 7.6 quake at 10 km depth is the kind of event that keeps emergency planners awake — shallow enough to shake cities, strong enough to trigger a tsunami warning across an entire ocean basin. Panama sits in a seismically active corner of Central America, and a warning stretching from Panama to Hawaii shows how quickly one country’s disaster can become a region-wide alert. For the millions living along the Pacific coast of the Americas, the hours after a warning are the ones that count.
Illustration: a seismogram recording earthquake tremors. The USGS first estimated the October 9, 2026 Panama quake at magnitude 8.0 before revising it to 7.6. (File image: 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake seismogram.) (Image: U.S. Geological Survey, public domain via Wikimedia Commons)
What happens next
Right now, the picture is incomplete — and that’s normal this soon after a major quake. Authorities in Panama will be checking for damage and injuries, especially near the epicenter, while warning centers track the Pacific for wave activity. Warnings are updated as new data arrives, so coastal residents in the nine listed countries should follow local emergency services, not social media rumors. We’ll update this story as officials release more information. If you felt the shaking, the USGS invites people to report it through its “Did You Feel It?” system, which helps scientists map the quake’s reach.
Key takeaways
- A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Panama on October 9, 2026, at 17:56 GMT (12:56 p.m. Panama time).
- The epicenter was about 10 km from Pitaloza Arriba in south-central Panama, at a shallow depth of 10 km.
- The USGS first estimated the magnitude at 8.0, then revised it down to 7.6 as more data arrived.
- Buildings shook in Panama City and tremors reached San José, Costa Rica; no damage or injuries had been reported at publication time.
- A tsunami threat covered Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico — plus Hawaii.
- New Zealand’s emergency management agency said the quake posed no tsunami threat to New Zealand.
Frequently asked questions
Where was the epicenter of the Panama earthquake?
The epicenter was about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the small town of Pitaloza Arriba in south-central Panama, near the country’s southern Pacific coast, according to AFP. USA Today reported it sat just under nine miles southwest of the town. The quake struck at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, the USGS said.
What was the magnitude of the Panama earthquake today, October 9?
The USGS measured the Panama earthquake today, October 9, at magnitude 7.6. The agency’s first estimate was 8.0, but it revised the figure down as more data arrived from seismic stations. Early estimates often change in the first hour after a big quake, and the updated number is the one scientists now use.
What time did the Panama earthquake strike?
The quake struck at 17:56 GMT on Friday, October 9, 2026 — 12:56 p.m. local time in Panama, according to the USGS. Because the quake happened around midday locally, many people were at work or school when buildings began to shake.
Was a tsunami warning issued after the Panama earthquake?
Yes. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said hazardous waves could reach the coasts of Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico within three hours, and flagged a potential threat to Hawaii. New Zealand’s emergency agency, however, said there was no tsunami threat to New Zealand.
Were there any casualties or damage from the Panama earthquake?
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in Panama, according to Reuters witnesses, and USA Today reported it was not immediately clear whether the quake caused injuries or damage. That means the casualty picture is unknown at the time of publication — not zero, just unconfirmed. Officials were still assessing the affected areas.
Was the earthquake felt outside Panama?
Yes. The tremor was felt in San José, the capital of neighboring Costa Rica, according to Reuters witnesses. In Panama City, buildings shook and residents evacuated into the streets. Television footage showed people leaving buildings after the tremors and gathering outside while they waited for updates.
Sources
- USA Today, “Massive earthquake strikes Panama at magnitude 7.6, tsunami threat issued,” October 9, 2026. Read the report.
- ynetnews (Reuters witnesses), “Magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes Panama, tsunami threat extends to Hawaii and across the Pacific,” October 9, 2026. Read the report.
- NDTV (AFP), “Tsunami Threat In Pacific After Earthquake Of 7.6-Magnitude Shakes Panama,” October 9, 2026. Read the report.
- 1News (additional reporting by AP), “No tsunami threat to NZ after huge 7.6 quake hits Panama,” October 10, 2026 (New Zealand time). Read the report.
Seismic data: U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program.
Related reading on Global Desk News: our report on Hurricane Isaias strengthening to a Category 3 ahead of landfall and our earlier coverage as Isaias intensified.