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Costa Rica · Heredia Province

M2.8 Earthquake near Varablanca, Heredia Province (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-08-31 05:09:14 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

On August 31, 2026 at 05:09 UTC, a magnitude M2.8 earthquake occurred near Varablanca, Heredia Province (Costa Rica). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 12 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Events of this size typically go unnoticed.

The event was recorded by EMSC. Costa Rica: 2 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M2.9.

Details

ID
5fdb9fb9e5c3a3b413273ecf7a712dde156c6d73
Magnitude
M2.8
Depth
12.0 km
UTC time
2026-08-31 05:09:14 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
Heredia Province
City
Varablanca
County
Heredia
Source
emsc
Coordinates
10.15320, -83.98430
Temperature
17.1°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 12 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 12 km
Shallow
12 km
12 km — shallower than 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

Volcanoes nearby

  • Barva
    Distance: 13 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: 28 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'697 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Costa Rica
  • Turrialba
    Distance: 28 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'340 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Costa Rica
  • Platanar
    Distance: 45 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 2'267 m ·Costa Rica
  • Arenal
    Distance: 86 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
    27.7 kmStraight-line distance
  • Juan Santamaría International AirportCosta Rica · SJO · MROC
    30.3 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 ≥ 2.0 · 799 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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