Satellite imagery shows hundreds of landslides following the October 9 magnitude 7.7 earthquake on Panama’s Azuero Peninsula. Dave Petley has a useful before-and-after discussion on The Landslide Blog, using Sentinel-2 imagery to show the concentration of failures in the forested hills.
One interesting detail is how that cluster lines up with the area highlighted by the USGS ground-failure model. That is a useful example of a regional screening product helping point reconnaissance toward places that deserve a closer look. It still takes imagery and field observations to establish what actually failed.
Petley also raises the concern that heavier rain could remobilize debris or lead to more failures. Even though he immediate shaking may be over, the loose material it leaves behind can create a longer recovery problem.
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