Earthquakes in Costa Rica Today
Costa Rica sits above the subduction of the Cocos plate, whose megathrust beneath the Nicoya Peninsula produced the Mw 7.6 earthquake of 2012. Shallow faults also cross the Central Valley, home to most of the population, and the country has a dense network of monitored volcanoes.
Danger Level (72h)
72-hour composite hazard forecast
Recent Quakes (30d)
Recorded in the last 30 days
Max Magnitude (30d)
Largest earthquake in the last 30 days
Off the coast of Cartago, Costa Rica
12mo ago•10 km•Felt by about 4,133,826 people
Recent earthquakes
20Counts cover the seismic belts this platform monitors in Costa Rica, not its administrative borders. A monitored belt can reach across a border, and events there are listed with the country of their epicentre.
Monitored regions
Volcanoes of Costa Rica
2 dedicated profiles · 10 Holocene volcanoes in total
Tectonic setting
Costa Rica sits above the subduction of the Cocos plate, whose megathrust beneath the Nicoya Peninsula produced the Mw 7.6 earthquake of 2012. Shallow faults also cross the Central Valley, home to most of the population, and the country has a dense network of monitored volcanoes.
Frequently asked questions
How often do earthquakes occur in Costa Rica?
Our catalogue recorded 171 earthquakes across the 1 seismic belts monitored in Costa Rica over the last 30 days, the strongest reaching M4.5.
Why are there so many earthquakes in Costa Rica?
Costa Rica sits above the subduction of the Cocos plate, whose megathrust beneath the Nicoya Peninsula produced the Mw 7.6 earthquake of 2012. Shallow faults also cross the Central Valley, home to most of the population, and the country has a dense network of monitored volcanoes.
What is the emergency number in Costa Rica?
The emergency number in Costa Rica is 911, answered by Sistema de Emergencias 9-1-1 / CNE. After strong shaking, keep the line free for those trapped or injured and check official channels for aftershock and tsunami advisories.
Who monitors earthquakes in Costa Rica?
The national seismic authority is OVSICORI (Universidad Nacional) and Red Sismológica Nacional (UCR-ICE) (OVSICORI / RSN). EarthquakeLive cross-checks its bulletins against 18 international networks, so an event may appear here with a slightly different magnitude until the agencies converge on a final solution.