Back to map
Costa Rica · Puntarenas Province

M3.9 Earthquake near Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-09-18 00:42:27 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M3.9
Depth
21.0 km
Source
EMSC

Puntarenas Province · Puntarenas Province

Country overview

Map

About this earthquake

A magnitude M3.9 earthquake was recorded near Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica) on September 18, 2026 at 00:42 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 21 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: 5 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M2.8.

Details

ID
6e277d8aaa047b98b8a02d971d6ae6ee70c965c4
Magnitude
M3.9
Depth
21.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-18 00:42:27 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
Puntarenas Province
City
Puntarenas Province
Source
emsc
Coordinates
9.10770, -84.01380
Temperature
28.6°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 21 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 21 km
Shallow
21 km
21 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

Volcanoes nearby

  • Irazu
    Distance: 98 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'436 m ·Last eruption: 1977 ·Costa Rica
  • Turrialba
    Distance: 106 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'340 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Costa Rica
  • Barva
    Distance: 115 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'906 m ·Last eruption: -6050 ·Costa Rica
  • Poas Activity reported
    Distance: 124 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'697 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Costa Rica
  • Platanar
    Distance: 138 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 2'267 m ·Costa Rica
  • Baru
    Distance: 165 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'474 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Panama

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Quepos Managua AirportCosta Rica · XQP · MRQP
    39.4 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, 5 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

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