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Costa Rica · Puntarenas Province

M2.8 Earthquake near Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-09-21 01:03:43 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M2.8
Depth
23.0 km
Source
EMSC

Puntarenas Province · Puntarenas Province

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M2.8 earthquake was recorded near Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica) on September 21, 2026 at 01:03 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 23 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. 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 M4.2.

Details

ID
bc76cb3bce92936ce685ad5309c71673755b5896
Magnitude
M2.8
Depth
23.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-21 01:03:43 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
Puntarenas Province
City
Puntarenas Province
Source
emsc
Coordinates
9.01230, -84.10170
Temperature
27.8°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 23 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 23 km
Shallow
23 km
23 km — close to 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

Volcanoes nearby

  • Irazu
    Distance: 111 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'436 m ·Last eruption: 1977 ·Costa Rica
  • Turrialba
    Distance: 118 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'340 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Costa Rica
  • Barva
    Distance: 125 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'906 m ·Last eruption: -6050 ·Costa Rica
  • Poas Activity reported
    Distance: 133 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'697 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Costa Rica
  • Platanar
    Distance: 146 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 2'267 m ·Costa Rica
  • Baru
    Distance: 173 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
    48.0 kmStraight-line distance

Source: OurAirports · Dataset date: 2026-09-21

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

21 Sep 2025 – 21 Sep 2026 · M ≥ 2.0 · 86 Catalogue entries

Of 85 other entries for this area and period, 52 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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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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