Central America
What tectonic plate is Panama on?
Panama spans 2 tectonic plates: the Panama Plate (95%) and the North Andes Plate (4.7%), plus slivers of the Nazca Plate.
- Plates
- 3
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 33
- Holocene volcanoes
- 1
- Land area
- 74,245 km²
Plates under Panama
Share of Panama's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
7 plate boundaries run through or along Panama: the Cocos-Nazca boundary (divergent, about 5.6 cm/yr), the Nazca-North Andes boundary (convergent, about 5.7 cm/yr), the Panama-Caribbean boundary (convergent, about 1.1 cm/yr), the Nazca-Panama boundary (transform, about 4.0 cm/yr), the Cocos-Panama boundary (convergent, about 7.5 cm/yr), the Panama-North Andes boundary (transform, about 1.3 cm/yr) and the Caribbean-North Andes boundary (convergent, about 1.2 cm/yr).
- Cocos and Nazca: divergent, 5.6 cm/yr
- Nazca and North Andes: convergent, 5.7 cm/yr
- Panama and Caribbean: convergent, 1.1 cm/yr
- Nazca and Panama: transform, 4.0 cm/yr
- Cocos and Panama: convergent, 7.5 cm/yr
- Panama and North Andes: transform, 1.3 cm/yr
- Caribbean and North Andes: convergent, 1.2 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Cocos-Panama boundary, where the plates move about 7.5 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Panama
Panama has frequent large earthquakes: 33 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 27 of 213).
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama | M7.7 | 2026 | 13 km | Panama |
| 44 km ESE of Burica, Panama | M7.5 | 1934 | 30 km | Panama |
| 33 km SSW of Boca de Cupé, Panama | M7.3 | 1974 | 12 km | North Andes |
| 45 km SW of Quebrada de Piedra, Panama | M7.2 | 1904 | 10 km | Panama |
| 59 km SSE of Burica, Panama | M7.2 | 1962 | 25 km | Panama |
| 12 km SSE of Jaqué, Panama | M7.0 | 1976 | 3 km | North Andes |
Volcanoes in Panama
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 1 volcano active in the last 12,000 years in Panama.
- Baru Stratovolcano · 3,474 m Last eruption 1550
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Panama on?
Panama spans 2 tectonic plates: the Panama Plate (95%) and the North Andes Plate (4.7%), plus slivers of the Nazca Plate.
Is Panama on a plate boundary?
7 plate boundaries run through or along Panama: the Cocos-Nazca boundary (divergent, about 5.6 cm/yr), the Nazca-North Andes boundary (convergent, about 5.7 cm/yr), the Panama-Caribbean boundary (convergent, about 1.1 cm/yr), the Nazca-Panama boundary (transform, about 4.0 cm/yr), the Cocos-Panama boundary (convergent, about 7.5 cm/yr), the Panama-North Andes boundary (transform, about 1.3 cm/yr) and the Caribbean-North Andes boundary (convergent, about 1.2 cm/yr).
Does Panama get earthquakes?
Panama has frequent large earthquakes: 33 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 27 of 213). The largest was the M7.7 12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama in 2026.
Are there volcanoes in Panama?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 1 volcano active in the last 12,000 years in Panama.