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Costa Rica · San José

M3.1 Earthquake near Grifo Alto, San José (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-01-19 20:54:57 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M3.1 earthquake was recorded near Grifo Alto, San José (Costa Rica) on January 19, 2026 at 20:54 UTC. With a focal depth of about 33 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Earthquakes of this magnitude are often felt but rarely cause damage.

The event was recorded by EMSC. Costa Rica: 5 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M3.7.

Details

ID
dfd5571adadec10988aac39be0ebff1a10e2cf5b
Magnitude
M3.1
Depth
33.0 km
UTC time
2026-01-19 20:54:57 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
San José
City
Grifo Alto
County
Puriscal
Village
Grifo Alto
Source
emsc
Coordinates
9.88140, -84.41290
Temperature
25.6°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 33 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 33 km
Shallow
33 km
33 km — deeper 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

  • Poas Activity reported
    Distance: 41 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'697 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Costa Rica
  • Barva
    Distance: 44 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'906 m ·Last eruption: -6050 ·Costa Rica
  • Platanar
    Distance: 47 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 2'267 m ·Costa Rica
  • Irazu
    Distance: 62 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'436 m ·Last eruption: 1977 ·Costa Rica
  • Arenal
    Distance: 72 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'670 m ·Last eruption: 2010 ·Costa Rica
  • Turrialba
    Distance: 73 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'340 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Costa Rica

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Juan Santamaría International AirportCosta Rica · SJO · MROC
    25.6 kmStraight-line distance
  • Tobías Bolaños International AirportCosta Rica · SYQ · MRPV
    31.1 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

Costa Rica

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 393 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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