Panama Earthquake Research Paper

EARTHQUAKE HAZARD STUDY - PANAMA
Aaron Lai + Eva Fong
INTRODUCTION TO THE EVENT:
Panama is a small country located in Central America, next to Costa Rica (refer to
Map 1).1 This Latin American country has a population of 3,608,431 people.2 Panama is also located on a minor tectonic plate called the Panama Microplate. With reference to Map
2, the Panama Microplate is surrounded by four other tectonic plates: the Cocos plate, the
Caribbean plate, the Nazca plate, and the
South American plate. Due to its location among four tectonic plates, Panama experiences frequent low to intermediate earthquakes (under 7.2 magnitude on the
Richter scale).
In 2014, on April 2, Panama was hit by an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 on the
Richter scale. According
Map 1:
Map of Panama

Map 2:
Panama in the context of tectonic plates

WHY DO PEOPLE LIVE IN PANAMA?
One of Panama’s most attractive aspects is its relatively low cost of living without much compromise in quality of life. This makes the area a prime destination for retirement, occupation, or simply for leisure purposes. Basic services such as taking a taxi across town or getting a haircut only costs a couple of dollars.4 Even a luxury dinner with a bottle of wine only costs around 20 to 30 dollars as well.5 In addition to this, Panama’s warm, tropical climate is favourable to many who desire a reasonable temperature throughout the year (average temperature ranging from 21 to 32 degrees celsius annually).6
The country also features exotic species of flora and fauna which are easily discovered due to its relatively small size. Due to Panama’s attractiveness, the country’s population density has grown to 50 people per square kilometre as of 2012.7 With a relatively large population density, naturally, the population is more
1

http://www.bssaonline.org/content/100/1/343/F1.large.jpg
The Panama
Canal is an icon in Panama. Not only is it important for international relations in terms of shipping, it also serves as a heritage site for the country and is a popular tourist spot. Geologists have discovered that two fault lines lie directly beneath the Panama Canal and are capable of rupturing the canal. The Pedro Miguel fault is directly under the canal, but is not under any locks. The Limon fault is roughly a continuation of the Pedro Miguel fault and goes up north (refer to
Map 3).13 There are also two aging dams that help supply the canal with water. If the dams are damaged by future earthquakes, the lakes could drain out and it would take ten years to refill.
There are potential economic effects involved with shipping or simply just with tourism.

Map 3:
Faults beneath the Panama Canal

ADJUSTMENT & RESPONSES
There have been several initiatives to help mitigate future earthquakes, as Panama is prone to many. Local governments have used an open software suite called Central America Probabilistic Risk
Assessment (CAPRA) which analyzes the threats of natural disasters such as earthquakes in terms