Back to map
Costa Rica · Puntarenas Province

M2.9 Earthquake near Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-07-21 16:01:37 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M2.9
Depth
15.0 km
Source
EMSC

Puntarenas Province · Puntarenas Province

Country overview

Map

About this earthquake

On July 21, 2026 at 16:01 UTC, a magnitude M2.9 earthquake occurred near Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 15 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this small magnitude are usually barely noticeable and cause no damage.

The event was recorded by EMSC. Costa Rica: 7 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.2.

Details

ID
cd1c551f82f88ce90404f69b250f364bdd3febc0
Magnitude
M2.9
Depth
15.0 km
UTC time
2026-07-21 16:01:37 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
Puntarenas Province
City
Puntarenas Province
Source
emsc
Coordinates
8.29460, -83.08320
Temperature
31.3°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 15 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 15 km
Shallow
15 km
15 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

  • Baru
    Distance: 82 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'474 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Panama
  • Irazu
    Distance: 205 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'436 m ·Last eruption: 1977 ·Costa Rica
  • Turrialba
    Distance: 207 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'340 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Costa Rica
  • Barva
    Distance: 233 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'906 m ·Last eruption: -6050 ·Costa Rica
  • Poas Activity reported
    Distance: 247 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'697 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Costa Rica
  • Platanar
    Distance: 264 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 2'267 m ·Costa Rica

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Puerto Jimenez AirportCosta Rica · PJM · MRPJ
    35.7 kmStraight-line distance
  • Golfito AirportCosta Rica · GLF · MRGF
    41.4 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 · 215 Catalogue entries

Of 214 other entries for this area and period, 92 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