Back to map
Costa Rica · Puntarenas

M3.3 Earthquake near Puntarenas (Costa Rica)

UTC time: 2026-01-20 18:25:52 UTC Local time: —

Map

About this earthquake

On January 20, 2026 at 18:25 UTC, a magnitude M3.3 earthquake occurred near Puntarenas (Costa Rica). With a focal depth of about 19 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: over the past 24 hours, QuakeMap24 logged 5 earthquakes, the strongest at M3.7.

Details

ID
ef2fca5cbcff5c1732f707b3703e3bc9505386a4
Magnitude
M3.3
Depth
19.0 km
UTC time
2026-01-20 18:25:52 UTC
Local time
—
Country
Costa Rica
State
Puntarenas
City
Puntarenas
Source
emsc
Coordinates
9.12420, -83.91090

Depth profile

Depth profile Depth: 19 km (Shallow) Surface Shallow Intermediate Deep 0 km 70 km 300 km 700 km 19 km
Shallow
19 km
19 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: 95 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'436 m ·Last eruption: 1977 ·Costa Rica
  • Turrialba
    Distance: 101 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'340 m ·Last eruption: 2022 ·Costa Rica
  • Barva
    Distance: 114 km ·Complex ·Elevation: 2'906 m ·Last eruption: -6050 ·Costa Rica
  • Poas Activity reported
    Distance: 125 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 2'697 m ·Last eruption: 2026 ·Costa Rica
  • Platanar
    Distance: 140 km ·Stratovolcano(es) ·Elevation: 2'267 m ·Costa Rica
  • Baru
    Distance: 154 km ·Stratovolcano ·Elevation: 3'474 m ·Last eruption: 1550 ·Panama

Radius · 50 km

Nearby infrastructure

Up to 3 nearest sites per category

Airports

  • Quepos Managua AirportCosta Rica · XQP · MRQP
    42.8 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

Context for this earthquake

05 Oct 2025 – 05 Oct 2026 · M ≥ 3.0 · 73 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.

Share