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Costa Rica · Puntarenas Province

M4.9 Earthquake near Sierpe, Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-10-12 23:28:20 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

On October 12, 2026 at 23:28 UTC, a magnitude M4.9 earthquake occurred near Sierpe, Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica). The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 10 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Earthquakes of this magnitude are clearly felt; minor damage to vulnerable buildings is possible.

The event was recorded by EMSC. Costa Rica: 6 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.9.

Details

ID
dec01926096b2530fe4ad8295e09d83dd81610a7
Magnitude
M4.9
Depth
10.0 km
UTC time
2026-10-12 23:28:20 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
Puntarenas Province
City
Sierpe
County
Osa
Village
Sierpe
Source
emsc
Coordinates
8.81710, -83.37690
Temperature
23.8°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 10 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 10 km
Shallow
10 km
10 km — shallower than the regional average (26.2 km)
Regional average: 26.2 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

Tectonic context

Located on the Panama Plate.
Near the boundary Cocos ↔ Panama · about 87 km away

Volcanoes nearby

  • Baru
    Distance: 92 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'474 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Panama
  • Irazu
    Distance: 139 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'436 m ·Last eruption: 1977 ·Costa Rica
  • Turrialba
    Distance: 141 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'340 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Costa Rica
  • Barva
    Distance: 167 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'906 m ·Last eruption: -6050 ·Costa Rica
  • Poas Activity reported
    Distance: 180 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'697 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Costa Rica
  • Platanar
    Distance: 197 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 2'267 m ·Costa Rica

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Golfito AirportCosta Rica · GLF · MRGF
    28.0 kmStraight-line distance
  • Puerto Jimenez AirportCosta Rica · PJM · MRPJ
    32.7 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

Puntarenas Province

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 42 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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