Reviewed by USGSCosta Rica16d ago
M4.6 earthquake 28 km S of Quepos, Costa Rica
Thursday, September 10, 2026, 18:04:04 UTC · 9.172°N, 84.147°W
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 28 km S of Quepos, Costa Rica on Thursday, September 10, 2026, 18:04:04 UTC, at a depth of 35.0 km (shallow). USGS received 1 “Did You Feel It?” report, with a maximum reported intensity of II (weak). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M5.0 on September 10, 2026.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 35 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 1
- Max intensity II
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
66 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Cocos and Panama plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
35 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
Reports sent by people to USGS, grouped by place (most reports first). Intensity uses the Modified Mercalli scale (I–X): what people felt, not the magnitude.
| Place | Intensity | Reports | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Suiza, Cartago, Costa Rica | II · Weak | 1 | 101 km |
USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 50 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km since this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 454 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.611 km ENE of Hojancha, Costa RicaSeptember 5, 2012 · 163 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.634 km S of Limón, Costa RicaApril 22, 1991 · 131 km NE of this epicenter
- 7.64 km WNW of Atenas, Costa RicaDecember 21, 1939 · 95 km N of this epicenter
- 7.5Costa RicaOctober 5, 1950 · 176 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.544 km ESE of Burica, PanamaJuly 18, 1934 · 232 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.570 km WSW of Golfito, Costa RicaDecember 5, 1941 · 106 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.37 km SSE of Puntarenas, Costa RicaMarch 25, 1990 · 110 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.353 km SSE of Quepos, Costa RicaDecember 20, 1904 · 26 km SE of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 49 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 910 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1910M6.4
Cartago, San Jose
4 May 1910 · 93 km away
700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)
- 1991M7.6
Limon, Pandora; Panama
22 Apr 1991 · 131 km away · intensity X
90 deaths$510 million damagetsunami
- 1952
Costa Rica
30 Dec 1952 · 144 km away
29 deaths
- 1973M6.5
Tilaran, Arenal, Rio Chiquito
14 Apr 1973 · 180 km away
26 deathsUnder $1 million damage
- 2009M6.1
La Paz
8 Jan 2009 · 111 km away
23 deaths$502 million damage
- 1955M5.8
Costa Rica
1 Sep 1955 · 100 km away
10 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.