{"id":1458,"date":"2026-10-20T09:10:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T14:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/constructhubs.com\/?p=1458"},"modified":"2026-11-05T09:54:25","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T14:54:25","slug":"pedro-miguel-fault","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/constructhubs.com\/en\/pedro-miguel-fault\/","title":{"rendered":"Pedro Miguel Fault: What It Is, Where It Runs, and What Risk It Poses for Panama"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pedro Miguel Fault is an active fault that runs north to south alongside the Panama Canal, a few kilometers from the capital.<\/strong> It is the most likely cause of the May 2, 1621, earthquake that severely damaged the city of Panam\u00e1 Viejo. Studies carried out for the Canal expansion confirmed that it has produced at least three large earthquakes in the last 1,600 years.<\/p>\n

Because it is so close to the country’s most populated city and its most important infrastructure, the Pedro Miguel Fault is one of the most studied seismic sources in Panama. In this article, we explain what it is, where it runs, how active it is, and what it means for those who design and build in the metropolitan region.<\/p>\n

What is the Pedro Miguel Fault?<\/h2>\n

The Pedro Miguel Fault is a right-lateral (dextral) strike-slip fault: the blocks of ground on each side move horizontally, and the side opposite the observer moves to the right. It is at least 30 km (19 miles) long on land and takes its name from the Pedro Miguel area in the Canal watershed, home to the locks of the same name.<\/p>\n

Together with the Lim\u00f3n Fault<\/strong>, farther north, it forms a fault system that extends at least 40 km (25 miles) from Col\u00f3n province. Both absorb part of the deformation caused by the collision between Central America and South America, according to the study on the neotectonics and paleoseismology of the Lim\u00f3n and Pedro Miguel faults<\/a> published in 2010 in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.<\/p>\n

For decades, it was thought to be inactive. In fact, it does not appear by name on the 1998 map of Quaternary faults and folds of Panama<\/a>. It was the excavations and geological mapping carried out for the Canal expansion that showed it has moved several times over the last few thousand years.<\/p>\n

Where does the Pedro Miguel Fault run?<\/h2>\n

The Pedro Miguel Fault runs north to south through the Canal watershed, roughly parallel to its western bank, in the area between Gat\u00fan Lake and the Pacific coast. Some studies cited by the University of Panama suggest it could extend north toward Chilibre and south under the sea toward Taboga Island.<\/p>\n