Back to map
Costa Rica · San José

M3.0 Earthquake near Área Metropolitana de San José, San José (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-01-19 23:38:30 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M3.0
Depth
5.0 km
Source
EMSC

San José · Área Metropolitana de San José

Country overview

Map

About this earthquake

On January 19, 2026 at 23:38 UTC, a magnitude M3.0 earthquake occurred near Área Metropolitana de San José, San José (Costa Rica). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 5 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Shaking of this size is frequently noticed but usually harmless.

The event was recorded by EMSC. Costa Rica: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 4 earthquakes, the strongest at M3.2.

Details

ID
24e6a8acde8cc6137b22fa923ac871a756c19d67
Magnitude
M3.0
Depth
5.0 km
UTC time
2026-01-19 23:38:30 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
San José
City
Área Metropolitana de San José
Village
Calle Blancos
Source
emsc
Coordinates
9.94900, -84.07300
Temperature
20.4°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 5 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 5 km
Shallow
5 km
5 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

Volcanoes nearby

  • Barva
    Distance: 21 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'906 m ·Last eruption: -6050 ·Costa Rica
  • Irazu
    Distance: 24 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: 35 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: 90 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
    7.4 kmStraight-line distance
  • Juan Santamaría International AirportCosta Rica · SJO · MROC
    15.7 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

Open history map
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.

Share