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Costa Rica · Guanacaste

M2.9 Earthquake near Nicoya, Guanacaste (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-05-12 06:11:56 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M2.9 earthquake was recorded near Nicoya, Guanacaste (Costa Rica) on May 12, 2026 at 06:11 UTC. With a focal depth of about 6 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this small magnitude are usually barely noticeable and cause no damage.

The event was recorded by EMSC. Costa Rica: 3 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M3.2.

Details

ID
ca95ad39cee0929c0c3f593ce8fb80451f8c989c
Magnitude
M2.9
Depth
6.0 km
UTC time
2026-05-12 06:11:56 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
Guanacaste
City
Nicoya
County
Nicoya
Source
emsc
Coordinates
10.05240, -85.56740
Temperature
23.3°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 6 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 6 km
Shallow
6 km
6 km — shallower than 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

  • Miravalles
    Distance: 90 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'028 m ·Last eruption: 1946 ·Costa Rica
  • Rincon de la Vieja Activity reported
    Distance: 90 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'729 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Costa Rica
  • Tenorio
    Distance: 92 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'916 m ·Costa Rica
  • Orosi
    Distance: 104 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'659 m ·Costa Rica
  • Arenal
    Distance: 105 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'670 m ·Last eruption: 2010 ·Costa Rica
  • Platanar
    Distance: 134 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
    12.6 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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