QuakeScout
Magnitude4.6

Reviewed by USGSCosta Rica13y ago

M4.6 earthquake 10 km ENE of Nicoya, Costa Rica

Wednesday, January 23, 2013, 03:21:57 UTC · 10.182°N, 85.365°W

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 10 km ENE of Nicoya, Costa Rica on Wednesday, January 23, 2013, 03:21:57 UTC, at a depth of 54.6 km (shallow). USGS received 10 “Did You Feel It?” reports, with a maximum reported intensity of III (weak). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.6 on January 23, 2013.

Magnitude
4.6
Light · mb
Depth
55 km
Shallow
Felt reports
10
Max intensity III
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

50 km

from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Panama and Caribbean plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.

Depth: shallow

55 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

10 people reported feeling this earthquake to USGS; a per-place breakdown is not available yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.

I felt it — report to USGS ↗

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 in the 30 days after this event.

Regional history

Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km

USGS lists 428 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:

  1. 7.783 km SSW of Corinto, NicaraguaSeptember 2, 1992 · 277 km NW of this epicenter
  2. 7.611 km ENE of Hojancha, Costa RicaSeptember 5, 2012 · 12 km SE of this epicenter
  3. 7.634 km S of Limón, Costa RicaApril 22, 1991 · 257 km E of this epicenter
  4. 7.64 km WNW of Atenas, Costa RicaDecember 21, 1939 · 106 km E of this epicenter
  5. 7.5Costa RicaOctober 5, 1950 · 48 km NE of this epicenter
  6. 7.570 km WSW of Golfito, Costa RicaDecember 5, 1941 · 276 km SE of this epicenter
  7. 7.37 km SSE of Puntarenas, Costa RicaMarch 25, 1990 · 68 km SE of this epicenter
  8. 7.392 km SW of San Juan del Sur, NicaraguaDecember 30, 1907 · 135 km NW of this epicenter

History · NOAA

Deadliest earthquakes in this area

NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 53 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 12,083 recorded deaths. The most severe:

  1. 1972M6.2

    Managua

    23 Dec 1972 · 259 km away

    10,000 deaths$3.0 billion damage

  2. 1930

    Managua

    31 Mar 1930 · 232 km away

    1,000 deaths$15 million damage

  3. 1910M6.4

    Cartago, San Jose

    4 May 1910 · 151 km away

    700 deathsSevere damage ($5–24M)

  4. 1992M7.6

    Masachapa; Costa Rica

    2 Sep 1992 · 286 km away

    170 deaths$30 million damagetsunami

  5. 1991M7.6

    Limon, Pandora; Panama

    22 Apr 1991 · 257 km away · intensity X

    90 deaths$510 million damagetsunami

  6. 1952

    Costa Rica

    30 Dec 1952 · 204 km away

    29 deaths

NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.

Nearby trackers

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