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M5.6 Earthquake near 84 km SW of Tamarindo, Costa Rica

UTC time: 2026-09-30 21:55:27 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
First published: Content updated:

Automatically generated from measurement data by QuakeMap24. Values may change after further analysis.

Magnitude
M5.6
Depth
10.0 km
Source
USGS

84 km SW of Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Map

M5.6 Earthquake near 84 km SW of Tamarindo, Costa Rica · 2026-09-30 — Map showing the location of the epicenter
M5.6 Earthquake near 84 km SW of Tamarindo, Costa Rica · 2026-09-30 — Map showing the location of the epicenter

About this earthquake

A magnitude M5.6 earthquake was recorded near 84 km SW of Tamarindo, Costa Rica on September 30, 2026 at 21:55 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Events of this size can cause damage near the epicenter.

The event was recorded by USGS.

Details

ID
146c5aa3230f7c8208b174b5958c55b274386a4c
Magnitude
M5.6
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-30 21:55:27 UTC
Local time
—
Country
—
Source
usgs
Coordinates
9.80840, -86.43640
Temperature
30.0°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10 km
Shallow
10 km
Why depth matters

Shallow quakes release energy near the surface — shaking is felt more strongly and damage potential is higher.

Depth classes per USGS

Estimated impact

Green No or minimal impact expected.
Estimated population exposed
IV 36'089
3 Felt reports · max reported intensity 2

Ground shaking

IV
Light · Intensity (MMI) IV
Felt by many, no damage.

Tectonic context

Located on the Cocos Plate.
Near the boundary Cocos ↔ Panama · about 9 km away

Nearby population centers

Distances are straight-line distances from the epicenter. Population data: GeoNames.

PlaceDistanceDirectionPopulation
Nicoya114.4 kmE15'313
Masaya243.6 kmN130'113
Managua259.3 kmN973'087

GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Volcanoes nearby

  • Rincon de la Vieja Activity reported
    Distance: 166 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'729 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Costa Rica
  • Orosi
    Distance: 168 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'659 m ·Costa Rica
  • Miravalles
    Distance: 175 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'028 m ·Last eruption: 1946 ·Costa Rica
  • Tenorio
    Distance: 183 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'916 m ·Costa Rica
  • Arenal
    Distance: 203 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'670 m ·Last eruption: 2010 ·Costa Rica
  • Concepcion
    Distance: 212 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'700 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Nicaragua

Radius · 100 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Nosara AirportCosta Rica · NOB · MRNS
    87.8 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-10-05

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts. Distances use recorded site coordinates. Sources & data dates

Subsequent earthquakes nearby

Events recorded after this earthquake within 150 km. They are not automatically classified as aftershocks.

First 6 hours2
First 24 hours3
First 72 hours3
Strongest subsequent eventM4.9
M2.72026-09-30 22:23:01 UTC124.5 kmOFF COAST OF COSTA RICA M3.52026-09-30 22:28:53 UTC10.2 kmOFF COAST OF COSTA RICA M3.32026-10-01 11:11:15 UTC21.6 kmOFF COAST OF COSTA RICA M3.22026-10-04 23:37:27 UTC137.6 kmGuanacaste M3.32026-10-05 12:43:36 UTC129.0 kmOFF COAST OF CENTRAL AMERICA M2.52026-10-06 14:04:53 UTC104.1 kmSanta Cruz M4.12026-10-06 16:03:17 UTC123.9 kmOFF COAST OF COSTA RICA M2.92026-10-07 02:59:38 UTC146.2 kmNEAR COAST OF NICARAGUA M3.02026-10-08 06:49:04 UTC137.9 kmNEAR COAST OF NICARAGUA M2.62026-10-11 23:21:34 UTC129.5 kmGuanacaste M3.22026-10-12 01:19:57 UTC129.7 kmMansión M3.82026-10-12 13:48:38 UTC95.8 kmBelén de Nosarita

Comparison of seismic sources

5 sources currently report magnitudes from M5.6 to M5.7.

Measurements can differ because agencies use different networks and calculation methods. Values may be revised.

SourceMagnitudeDepthPosition difference
SCEDCM5.68.0 km9.9 km
USGSM5.610.0 km0.0 km
GFZM5.610.0 km12.3 km
EMSCM5.715.0 km29.2 km
INGVM5.648.4 km22.8 km

No unambiguous area assignment

Context for this earthquake

This event has no unambiguous country assignment in the analysed catalogue. It is therefore not assigned to a regional profile.

Earthquake overview

Historical context nearby

Comparison with recorded earthquakes before this event within 150 km.

Magnitude rank#4
Earlier events M≥455
Earlier events M≥512
Compared since2025-01-22

The QuakeMap24 comparison dataset begins on 2024-03-23. Earlier earthquakes may not be included.

Strongest earlier events

M5.82026-04-15 06:56:01 UTC1.8 kmOff Coast of Costa Rica M5.82026-04-15 06:56:08 UTC26.1 kmOff coast of Costa Rica [Sea: Costa Rica] M5.72026-04-15 06:56:03 UTC13.4 km72 km SW of Tamarindo, Costa Rica M5.62026-04-15 06:56:02 UTC18.6 kmOff Coast of Costa Rica M5.52026-04-15 06:56:01 UTC24.9 kmOff Coast of Costa Rica

Stats (last 24h)

Global (24h)
603
Country (24h)
—
—
Current earthquakes in
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No recent events available.

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