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Topic 290 · Geography & Places in News

M7.7 earthquake strikes central Panama

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Revise the 12 points first Book 1 RATNA

Core Trigger: A magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit central Panama on 9 October 2026; USGS first reported it as M8.0.
Epicentre: It was near Pitaloza Arriba in the Herrera province area, at shallow depth, which magnifies surface shaking.
Damage: Roads and buildings collapsed in Herrera, Cocle and Los Santos provinces.
Aftershocks: Two aftershocks of M5.8 and M5.5 followed.
Tsunami Alert: A Pacific tsunami warning was issued and later lifted. Such warnings follow large undersea or coastal quakes.
Tectonic Setting: Panama lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of intense seismic and volcanic activity.
India Link: India monitors Pacific tsunami alerts through INCOIS, its Hyderabad-based tsunami warning centre.
Venue: Panama links North America and South America, with its capital at Panama City.
Landmark: The Panama Canal joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; it opened in 1914.
Scale: The moment magnitude (Mw) scale replaced the Richter scale for measuring large earthquakes.
Founded: The Richter scale was devised in 1935 by Charles Richter.
Key Term: The epicentre is the surface point above the focus, the point underground where rupture begins; seismographs record the waves.

Question 1 of 10

USGS first reported the 9 October 2026 Panama earthquake as what magnitude?

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Answer: (A) M8.0

Core Trigger: A magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit central Panama on 9 October 2026; USGS first reported it as M8.0.From Book 1 RATNA, topic 290, point 1

Question 2 of 10

What effect did the quake's shallow depth have?

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Answer: (B) It magnified surface shaking

Epicentre: It was near Pitaloza Arriba in the Herrera province area, at shallow depth, which magnifies surface shaking.From Book 1 RATNA, topic 290, point 2

Question 3 of 10

Roads and buildings collapsed in Herrera, Los Santos and which other province?

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Answer: (A) Cocle

Damage: Roads and buildings collapsed in Herrera, Cocle and Los Santos provinces.From Book 1 RATNA, topic 290, point 3

Question 4 of 10

What magnitudes did the two aftershocks have?

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Answer: (C) M5.8 and M5.5

Aftershocks: Two aftershocks of M5.8 and M5.5 followed.From Book 1 RATNA, topic 290, point 4

Question 5 of 10

Which is/are correct? 1. A Pacific tsunami warning remains in force. 2. Panama lies outside the Pacific Ring of Fire.

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Answer: (D) Neither

Tsunami Alert: A Pacific tsunami warning was issued and later lifted. Such warnings follow large undersea or coastal quakes.From Book 1 RATNA, topic 290, point 5

Question 6 of 10

India monitors Pacific tsunami alerts through which Hyderabad-based centre?

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Answer: (D) INCOIS

India Link: India monitors Pacific tsunami alerts through INCOIS, its Hyderabad-based tsunami warning centre.From Book 1 RATNA, topic 290, point 7

Question 7 of 10

Panama links which two continents?

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Answer: (B) North and South America

Venue: Panama links North America and South America, with its capital at Panama City.From Book 1 RATNA, topic 290, point 8

Question 8 of 10

The Panama Canal opened in which year?

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Answer: (B) 1914

Landmark: The Panama Canal joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; it opened in 1914.From Book 1 RATNA, topic 290, point 9

Question 9 of 10

Which scale replaced the Richter scale for measuring large earthquakes?

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Answer: (A) Moment magnitude scale

Scale: The moment magnitude (Mw) scale replaced the Richter scale for measuring large earthquakes.From Book 1 RATNA, topic 290, point 10

Question 10 of 10

Which is/are correct? 1. The Richter scale was devised in 1935 by Charles Richter. 2. The epicentre is the underground point where rupture begins.

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Answer: (A) Only 1

Founded: The Richter scale was devised in 1935 by Charles Richter.From Book 1 RATNA, topic 290, point 11

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