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Costa Rica · Puntarenas Province

M3.0 Earthquake near Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-09-21 12:53:17 UTC Local time: —
Magnitude
M3.0
Depth
12.0 km
Source
EMSC

Puntarenas Province · Puntarenas Province

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About this earthquake

On September 21, 2026 at 12:53 UTC, a magnitude M3.0 earthquake occurred near Puntarenas Province (Costa Rica). With a focal depth of about 12 km, this was a shallow earthquake, whose shaking is usually felt more strongly at the surface. Shaking of this size is frequently noticed but usually harmless.

The data is provided by EMSC and cross-checked across seismological networks. Costa Rica: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 6 earthquakes, the strongest at M4.2.

Details

ID
e9454a560ff8efa9d44d8c31ed869d5ae4f3d322
Magnitude
M3.0
Depth
12.0 km
UTC time
2026-09-21 12:53:17 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
Puntarenas Province
City
Puntarenas Province
Source
emsc
Coordinates
8.99600, -84.13410
Temperature
27.5°C

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 12 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 12 km
Shallow
12 km
12 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

  • Irazu
    Distance: 114 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'436 m ·Last eruption: 1977 ·Costa Rica
  • Turrialba
    Distance: 121 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'340 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Costa Rica
  • Barva
    Distance: 127 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'906 m ·Last eruption: -6050 ·Costa Rica
  • Poas Activity reported
    Distance: 134 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'697 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Costa Rica
  • Platanar
    Distance: 147 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 2'267 m ·Costa Rica
  • Arenal
    Distance: 175 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 1'670 m ·Last eruption: 2010 ·Costa Rica

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Quepos Managua AirportCosta Rica · XQP · MRQP
    49.7 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 ≥ 3.0 · 38 Catalogue entries

Of 37 other entries for this area and period, 30 have a higher stored magnitude. Different magnitude types and reports not yet merged limit the comparison.

Open seismic profile

Historic earthquake map · Costa Rica

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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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