Panama Earthquakes in Chiriqui are not Volcanic – They are Tectonic

Earthquakes in Chiriquí are the product of a tectonic process, not volcanic.  Earthquakes are normal because Chiriqui is in a highly seismic area, but the guard should not be lowered because there could be others of higher magnitude.  The earthquakes that have occurred during recent days in Chiriquí are within a normal range and have tectonic origin, explained Dr. Catalina Espinosa.  When you hear about earthquakes in that province you tend to link them to the Barú volcano, however, this time there is no link.  “These earthquakes are not of volcanic origin, they are the product of this process of tectonism in the Bay of Charco Azul, where we have a triple collision point adjacent to the Panama Fracture Zone. It’s a process of tectonism, more than volcanic,” Espinosa said to Panama America.  In this sense, the expert indicates that the Institute of Geosciences of the University of Panama has no records of earthquakes in the volcanic cone, indicating that its origin is not this.  The researcher from the Autonomous University of Chiriquí exposes that earthquakes are normal because Chiriquí is within a highly seismic zone. 

Although they cannot be predicted, there are likely other cracks on the Earth’s surface that can generate more energy, he warned.  The Institute of Geosciences works on identifying focal mechanisms, which are a two-dimensional representation of the geometry of a fault and how it moves during an earthquake.  “Further studies are required.  We currently have no scientific evidence of what is happening inside the surface.” “The magnitude of these events depends a lot on the movement of the plate and how the subduction is,” he added.  Espinosa does not rule out that other earthquakes continue to appear, so it is important to be prepared.  “These (future) earthquakes may be higher than those experienced, and would be within normal.” “Sometimes we forget to prepare because they don’t show up that often,” he added. Recently, the University of Panama’s Institute of Geosciences reported a magnitude 6 earthquake in the Panama-Costa Rica border region, 7km southeast of Puerto Armuelles.