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Costa Rica · Puntarenas

M4.5 Earthquake near Potrero Grande, Puntarenas (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-01-19 03:48:18 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.

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M4.5 earthquake was recorded near Potrero Grande, Puntarenas (Costa Rica) on January 19, 2026 at 03:48 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. 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 4 earthquakes, the strongest at M3.2.

Details

ID
48ec5719a1b1560188c43a368bfed07ce69ab933
Magnitude
M4.5
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-01-19 03:48:18 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
Puntarenas
City
Potrero Grande
County
Buenos Aires
Village
Potrero Grande
Source
emsc
Coordinates
9.02900, -83.28170
Temperature
23.7°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
10 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

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: Jan 19, 2026, 4:00 AM UTC · Last checked: Sep 6, 2026, 12:18 PM UTC

Source: EMSC / LastQuake

Volcanoes nearby

  • Baru
    Distance: 85 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'474 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Panama
  • Irazu
    Distance: 123 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'436 m ·Last eruption: 1977 ·Costa Rica
  • Turrialba
    Distance: 123 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'340 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Costa Rica
  • Barva
    Distance: 152 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'906 m ·Last eruption: -6050 ·Costa Rica
  • Poas Activity reported
    Distance: 167 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'697 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Costa Rica
  • Platanar
    Distance: 185 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
    43.1 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

Puntarenas

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 73 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.

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