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Costa Rica · San José

M4.3 Earthquake near Área Metropolitana de San José, San José (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-01-19 23:06:55 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M4.3
Depth
8.0 km
Source
EMSC

San José · Área Metropolitana de San José

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About this earthquake

On January 19, 2026 at 23:06 UTC, a magnitude M4.3 earthquake occurred near Área Metropolitana de San José, San José (Costa Rica). With a focal depth of about 8 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Tremors of this size are distinctly felt and can occasionally cause light damage.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks. Costa Rica: 4 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M3.2.

Details

ID
14ab90f0f15472e797605a229e1570e5f9568f5d
Magnitude
M4.3
Depth
8.0 km
UTC time
2026-01-19 23:06:55 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
San José
City
Área Metropolitana de San José
Village
Merced
Source
emsc
Coordinates
9.93860, -84.08460
Temperature
20.4°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 8 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 8 km
Shallow
8 km
8 km — shallower than the regional average (25.8 km)
Regional average: 25.8 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

Felt reports

24felt reports at EMSC / LastQuake

Voluntary reports of feeling this earthquake. The count is not an intensity measurement and is not added to USGS DYFI reports.

Data updated: Jan 21, 2026, 6:59 AM UTC · Last checked: Sep 6, 2026, 12:18 PM UTC

Source: EMSC / LastQuake

Volcanoes nearby

  • Barva
    Distance: 22 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'906 m ·Last eruption: -6050 ·Costa Rica
  • Irazu
    Distance: 26 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'436 m ·Last eruption: 1977 ·Costa Rica
  • Poas Activity reported
    Distance: 33 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'697 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Costa Rica
  • Turrialba
    Distance: 36 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'340 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Costa Rica
  • Platanar
    Distance: 51 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 2'267 m ·Costa Rica
  • Arenal
    Distance: 89 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'670 m ·Last eruption: 2010 ·Costa Rica

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Tobías Bolaños International AirportCosta Rica · SYQ · MRPV
    6.4 kmStraight-line distance
  • Juan Santamaría International AirportCosta Rica · SJO · MROC
    14.9 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

Costa Rica

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 393 Catalogue entries

Sufficiently reliable matching data are not currently available for a direct comparison. The area profile shows the available records and their limitations.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · Costa Rica

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Explore recent and long-term earthquake activity in this country. Use filters to narrow down by magnitude, depth, and date range.

Country statistics · Costa Rica

Country overview
View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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