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Costa Rica · Guanacaste

M2.5 Earthquake near Santa Elena, Guanacaste (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-10-16 04:44:29 UTC Local time: —

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About this earthquake

A magnitude M2.5 earthquake was recorded near Santa Elena, Guanacaste (Costa Rica) on October 16, 2026 at 04:44 UTC. The hypocenter lay relatively close to the surface at around 11 km, increasing how strongly it was felt. Events of this size typically go unnoticed.

The event was recorded by EMSC. Costa Rica: 6 earthquakes were recorded in the past 24 hours, the strongest reaching M4.5.

Details

ID
e082b13474398b078e23d823f129c58ed0310916
Magnitude
M2.5
Depth
11.0 km
UTC time
2026-10-16 04:44:29 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
Guanacaste
City
Santa Elena
County
La Cruz
Source
emsc
Coordinates
10.89040, -85.81340
Temperature
27.1°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 11 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 11 km
Shallow
11 km
11 km — shallower than the regional average (26 km)
Regional average: 26 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

  • Orosi
    Distance: 38 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'659 m ·Costa Rica
  • Rincon de la Vieja Activity reported
    Distance: 53 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 1'729 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Costa Rica
  • Miravalles
    Distance: 74 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'028 m ·Last eruption: 1946 ·Costa Rica
  • Concepcion
    Distance: 75 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'700 m ·Last eruption: 2024 ·Nicaragua
  • Tenorio
    Distance: 90 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 1'916 m ·Costa Rica
  • Zapatera
    Distance: 93 km ·Shield ·Elevation: 629 m ·Nicaragua

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Daniel Oduber Quirós International AirportCosta Rica · LIR · MRLB
    44.2 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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