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Costa Rica · Puntarenas Province

M4.5 Earthquake near Guaycará, Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-09-18 22:09:37 UTC Local time: —
Earthquake newsQuakeMap24
Archive record · original publication time was not recorded Content updated:

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

Magnitude
M4.5
Depth
26.0 km
Source
EMSC

Puntarenas Province · Guaycará

Country overview

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About this earthquake

On September 18, 2026 at 22:09 UTC, a magnitude M4.5 earthquake occurred near Guaycará, Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica). With a focal depth of about 26 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude are clearly felt; minor damage to vulnerable buildings is possible.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks. Costa Rica: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 5 earthquakes, the strongest at M2.8.

Details

ID
181a87f40a28b12ea3d97435c8be435d11ff42ca
Magnitude
M4.5
Depth
26.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-18 22:09:37 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
Puntarenas Province
City
Guaycará
County
Golfito
Source
emsc
Coordinates
8.74730, -83.02490
Temperature
25.2°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 26 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 26 km
Shallow
26 km
26 km — close to the regional average (25.9 km)
Regional average: 25.9 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

2felt 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: Sep 18, 2026, 10:12 PM UTC · Last checked: Sep 20, 2026, 3:37 PM UTC

Source: EMSC / LastQuake

Estimated impact

3 Felt reports · max reported intensity 3.1

Tectonic context

Located on the Panama Plate.
Near the boundary Cocos ↔ Panama · about 98 km away

Volcanoes nearby

  • Baru
    Distance: 53 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'474 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Panama
  • Turrialba
    Distance: 164 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'340 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Costa Rica
  • Irazu
    Distance: 164 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'436 m ·Last eruption: 1977 ·Costa Rica
  • Barva
    Distance: 194 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'906 m ·Last eruption: -6050 ·Costa Rica
  • Poas Activity reported
    Distance: 209 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'697 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Costa Rica
  • Platanar
    Distance: 227 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 2'267 m ·Costa Rica

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Golfito AirportCosta Rica · GLF · MRGF
    20.2 kmStraight-line distance
  • Puerto Jimenez AirportCosta Rica · PJM · MRPJ
    38.5 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-20

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

Puntarenas Province

Context for this earthquake

20 Sep 2025 – 20 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 35 Catalogue entries

Of 34 other entries for this area and period, 1 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

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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