Earthquakes in Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, there are partly large earthquakes with strengths of more than 7.0, which cause damages within a radius of over 100 kilometers. Due to the special tectonic situation of the country, there are more earthquakes than average.Since 1950, more than 190 people have been killed by the direct consequences of earthquakes. There were 4 earthquakes that also caused a subsequent tsunami, which claimed further lives, and cause additional damage.
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Most recent events
This list includes the strongest earthquakes recorded in or around Costa Rica by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in the past 14 days. Whether an event is listed here depends largely on its magnitude, but also on its distance from inhabited areas. All data refer to the local time. This page is updated daily at 11 am UTC.
- Jan. 30, 8:11 amMagnitude 4.5: 9 km east-southeast of Jacó at a depth of 36.81 km.
- Jan. 27, 11:42 pmMagnitude 3.0: 3 km north of Breñón, Panama at a depth of 14.31 km.
- Jan. 26, 9:49 pmMagnitude 3.4: 12 km north-northwest of Río Sereno, Panama at a depth of 10.56 km.
Earthquakes in Costa Rica since 1950
The strongest earthquake in Costa Rica happened on 10/05/1950 in the Costa Rica-Nicaragua region with a magnitude of 7.7 on the Richter scale. The earthquake also triggered a tsunami, leading to further victims and destruction.Date | Region | Depth | Magnitude | Deaths | Total damage |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11/13/2017 | Jaco | 8 km | 6.5 | 2 | |
12/01/2016 | Paraiso, Turrialba | 38 km | 5.3 | 0 | |
09/05/2012 | Nicoya | 7 km | 7.6 | 2 | |
01/08/2009 | La Paz | 35 km | 6.1 | 23 | |
05/26/2008 | Panama-Costa Rica | 33 km | 5.6 | 0 | |
11/20/2004 | San Jose, Parrita, Quepos | 22 km | 6.4 | 8 | |
07/10/1993 | Turrialba, Cartago | 58 km | 5.8 | 2 | |
08/09/1991 | Cartago | 49 km | 4.7 | 0 | |
04/22/1991 | Limon, Pandora | 51 km | 7.6 | 87 | |
12/22/1990 | Alajuela, Santiago De Puriscal | 54 km | 5.7 | 2 | |
06/08/1990 | Santiago De Puriscal | 50 km | 4.6 | 0 | |
03/25/1990 | Puntarenas, San Jose | 55 km | 7.0 | 0 | |
07/03/1983 | San Jose | 23 km | 6.2 | 2 | |
04/03/1983 | Se, Panama | 1 km | 7.3 | 6 | |
04/14/1973 | Tilaran, Arenal, Rio Chiquito | 6.5 | 26 | ||
09/01/1955 | Costa Rica | 5.8 | 10 | ||
12/30/1952 | Costa Rica | 0.0 | 29 | ||
10/05/1950 | Costa Rica-Nicaragua | 31 km | 7.7 | 0 |
These statistics are based on datas from the National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Data have been summarized and translated.