Is a Major Earthquake Looming for Panama and its Canal? Panama's
capital city and its iconic canal could be at risk for a major
earthquake, according to new research. Geologists have
discovered that two fault lines, one of which cuts directly
beneath the Panama Canal, are capable of powerful ruptures. The
canal is undergoing a major expansion project, scheduled for
completion in 2014, in time for the waterway's 100th
anniversary. According to some estimates, more than 73 percent
of the cargo ships in use today are too large to squeeze through
the narrow canal. Authorities in charge of the expansion
commissioned the recent research to uncover any seismic risks
posed to the new construction. Panama lies on a narrow isthmus
perched atop two colliding tectonic plates — the Central
American and South American — and although the country has
experienced earthquakes in the past, the two faults the
scientists are targeting have lain dormant for decades, even
centuries. "I think to some degree we were all surprised tha