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Costa Rica · Guanacaste

M2.6 Earthquake near Guanacaste (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-10-16 09:44:48 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

On October 16, 2026 at 09:44 UTC, a magnitude M2.6 earthquake occurred near Guanacaste (Costa Rica). With a focal depth of about 16 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Events of this size typically go unnoticed.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks. Costa Rica: 6 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M3.4.

Details

ID
a2546faaec52988f6fdddb4175abd58c2d4f63b5
Magnitude
M2.6
Depth
16.0 km
UTC time
2026-10-16 09:44:48 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
Guanacaste
City
Guanacaste
Source
emsc
Coordinates
9.72430, -85.68730
Temperature
27.8°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

  • Miravalles
    Distance: 128 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'028 m ·Last eruption: 1946 ·Costa Rica
  • Tenorio
    Distance: 129 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'916 m ·Costa Rica
  • Rincon de la Vieja Activity reported
    Distance: 129 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'729 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Costa Rica
  • Arenal
    Distance: 135 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'670 m ·Last eruption: 2010 ·Costa Rica
  • Orosi
    Distance: 142 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'659 m ·Costa Rica
  • Platanar
    Distance: 158 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 2'267 m ·Costa Rica

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Nosara AirportCosta Rica · NOB · MRNS
    28.3 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

Guanacaste

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 81 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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