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Costa Rica · Puntarenas Province

M3.3 Earthquake near Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-09-18 05:29:43 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M3.3
Depth
16.0 km
Source
EMSC

Puntarenas Province · Puntarenas Province

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M3.3 earthquake was recorded near Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica) on September 18, 2026 at 05:29 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 16 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Shaking of this size is frequently noticed but usually harmless.

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
85846e672f2eb8a85aca43b82b00b95474f16068
Magnitude
M3.3
Depth
16.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-18 05:29:43 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
Puntarenas Province
City
Puntarenas Province
Source
emsc
Coordinates
9.66420, -84.85730
Temperature
29.3°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 16 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 16 km
Shallow
16 km
16 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

  • Platanar
    Distance: 89 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 2'267 m ·Costa Rica
  • Arenal
    Distance: 90 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'670 m ·Last eruption: 2010 ·Costa Rica
  • Poas Activity reported
    Distance: 91 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'697 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Costa Rica
  • Barva
    Distance: 98 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'906 m ·Last eruption: -6050 ·Costa Rica
  • Tenorio
    Distance: 113 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'916 m ·Costa Rica
  • Irazu
    Distance: 116 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'436 m ·Last eruption: 1977 ·Costa Rica

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, 18 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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Country statistics · Costa Rica

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View earthquake KPIs, strongest and latest events, and averages for this country.

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