Panama earthquake releases century of accumulated energy

A recent major earthquake in Panama has released energy that had been accumulating in the Azuero-Soná fault system for approximately one century. Néstor Luque, director of the University of Panama's Institute of Geosciences, stated that while seismic activity is unpredictable, an event of this magnitude is not expected to recur in that specific area soon.

The University of Panama recorded the earthquake's magnitude at 7.5, while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured it at 7.7. The epicenter was located in the Azuero Peninsula in the southwest of the country, near the coastal town of Tonosí, which was cut off by land following the event.

Luque compared the energy release to a 1913 earthquake of magnitude 6.9. He noted that Panama is geologically composed of a microplate known as the Panama Block, situated between the Caribbean, Coco, Nazca, and South American plates. While the earthquake was felt strongly in Panama City, no serious damage was reported there, though Luque warned that other faults near the capital possess the potential to generate magnitude 7 earthquakes.