Moderate magnitude 4.9 earthquake at unknown depth12 Oct 23:36 UTC: First to report: EMSC after 8 minutes.12 Oct 23:36: Magnitude recalculated from 3.8 to 4.9.I didn't feel itI felt this quakeEarthquake detailsDate & timeOct 12, 2026 23:28:20 UTC - Local time at epicenterMonday, Oct 12, 2026, at 05:28 pm (GMT -6)Statuspreliminary (automatic detection)Magnitude4.90Depth10 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude8.8171°N / 83.3769°WProvincia de Puntarenas, Costa RicaAlso near: Panama 51 km (32 mi) awaySeismic antipode8.8171°S / 96.6231°EShaking intensityV Moderate shaking near epicenterFelt2 reportsPrimary data sourceEMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)Nearest volcanoDurika (62 km / 39 mi)Weather at epicenter at time of quakeModerate Rain 24.5°C (76 F), humidity: 97%, wind: 1 m/s (1 kts) from ESEEstimated seismic energy released1.4 x 1012 joules (392 megawatt hours, equivalent to 338 tons of TNT) | equivalent to ONE quake of magnitude 4.9 | about seismic energy10 minutes ago reported feltOct 12, 2026 23:28 GMT / Oct 12, 2026 05:28 pm (GMT -6)Lat / Lng: 8.8171 / -83.3769: Costa RicaSource: EMSCDetail info | Read user reports | You felt it? - Report it!';storedMarkers.push(['quake-23432847',8.81710,-83.37690,'10 minutes ago: Mag. 4.9, Costa Rica',html,'quakes-6-24.png',25,25,12,12,125]); function mkRep(id,notFelt){var nFelt=notFelt||false;var src="https://www.volcanoesandearthquakes.com/app/earthquake-report.php?quakeId="+id;if(nFelt==true){src+="¬Felt=true";}window.open(src,"","status=0,toolbar=0,location=0,directories=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,height=400,width=350");} function locationHashChanged(e){-1!=e.oldURL.indexOf("#popupMap")&&closePopup()} window.onhashchange = locationHashChanged; function comment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=(t.dataset.id,document.getElementById("commentForm"));"none"==a.style.display?(t.appendChild(a),a.style.display="block"):a.style.display="none"}function sendComment(e){var t=e.parentNode,a=t.parentNode.dataset.id,n=document.getElementById("commentContent"),p=n.value.trim();if(p){var o="id="+a+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId;o+="&comment="+decodeURIComponent(p),mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",o,function(e){e.responseText;alert("Thank you for submitting your comment!"),t.style.display="none",n.value=""})}}function flagReport(e){var t=e.parentNode.dataset.id;if(confirm("Report this as inappropriate?")){var a="id="+t+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&flagAsInappropriate=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",a,function(t){var a=t.responseText;alert(a),e.style.display="none"})}}function likeReport(e){var t="id="+e.parentNode.dataset.id+"&quakeId="+thisQuakeId+"&like=1";mkRequest("//reports.volcanodiscovery.com/app/eqReportComment.php","post",t,function(t){t.responseText;e.style.opacity=.5})}]]>[smaller] [bigger]Most recent quakes Top 20 past 24 hrs Quakes in Costa RicaNearby placesThe closest larger town where the quake might have been felt is San Isidro, a town with 35,000 inhabitants in Costa Rica, in 71 km (44 mi) distance northwest of the epicenter. People likely experienced weak shaking there. Many smaller towns and villages are located closer to the epicenter and might have experienced stronger shaking. In the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose, 147 km (91 mi) away from the epicenter, the earthquake was probably felt as weak shaking.The following table shows some of the places that might have been affected (or not) by the shaking.DistancePlaceMax. shaking intensity(*)RegionCountry23 km (14 mi)NW of epicenterPuerto Cortes(pop: 3,850)IV: LightOsa, Provincia de PuntarenasCosta Rica38 km (23 mi)SE of epicenterGolfito(pop: 6,780)IV: LightProvincia de PuntarenasCosta Rica40 km (25 mi)N of epicenterBuenos Aires(pop: 11,700)IV: LightProvincia de PuntarenasCosta Rica45 km (28 mi)E of epicenterSan Vito(pop: 3,980)IV: LightCoto Brus, Provincia de PuntarenasCosta Rica51 km (32 mi)SE of epicenterCorredor(pop: 7,080)IV: LightProvincia de PuntarenasCosta Rica56 km (34 mi)NW of epicenterMercedes(pop: 5,470)IV: LightPerez Zeledon, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica66 km (41 mi)NW of epicenterDaniel Flores(pop: 10,000)III: WeakPerez Zeledon, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica67 km (42 mi)SE of epicenterCanoas(pop: 4,570)III: WeakCorredores, Provincia de PuntarenasCosta Rica71 km (44 mi)NW of epicenterSan Isidro(pop: 34,900)III: WeakPerez Zeledon, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica81 km (50 mi)E of epicenterVolcan(pop: 10,300)III: WeakTierras Altas, Provincia de ChiriquiPanama82 km (51 mi)SE of epicenterPuerto Armuelles(pop: 11,700)III: WeakDistrito de Baru, Provincia de ChiriquiPanama89 km (55 mi)E of epicenterLa Concepcion(pop: 17,700)III: WeakDistrito de Bugaba, Provincia de ChiriquiPanama113 km (70 mi)SE of epicenterDavid(pop: 82,000)III: WeakProvincia de ChiriquiPanama126 km (78 mi)N of epicenterTurrialba(pop: 29,000)III: WeakProvincia de CartagoCosta Rica126 km (78 mi)NW of epicenterParaiso(pop: 39,700)III: WeakParaiso, Provincia de CartagoCosta Rica131 km (81 mi)NW of epicenterCartago(pop: 26,600)III: WeakProvincia de CartagoCosta Rica136 km (84 mi)N of epicenterPuerto Limón(pop: 63,100)III: WeakLimon, Provincia de LimonCosta Rica139 km (86 mi)NW of epicenterSan Diego(pop: 17,000)III: WeakLa Union, Provincia de CartagoCosta Rica139 km (86 mi)NW of epicenterPatarra(pop: 24,000)III: WeakDesamparados, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica139 km (86 mi)NW of epicenterSan Miguel(pop: 28,800)III: WeakDesamparados, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica139 km (87 mi)NW of epicenterTejar(pop: 22,400)III: WeakAcosta, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica140 km (87 mi)NW of epicenterAserri(pop: 25,900)III: WeakAserri, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica141 km (87 mi)NW of epicenterSan Rafael Arriba(pop: 15,100)III: WeakDesamparados, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica141 km (88 mi)NW of epicenterSan Juan de Dios(pop: 15,500)III: WeakDesamparados, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica142 km (88 mi)NW of epicenterCurridabat(pop: 34,600)III: WeakProvincia de San JoseCosta Rica143 km (89 mi)N of epicenterSiquirres(pop: 18,200)III: WeakProvincia de LimonCosta Rica144 km (89 mi)NW of epicenterSan Pedro(pop: 27,500)III: WeakMontes de Oca, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica145 km (90 mi)NW of epicenterSan Felipe(pop: 25,000)III: WeakAlajuelita, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica146 km (91 mi)NW of epicenterIpis(pop: 26,700)III: WeakGoicoechea, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica146 km (91 mi)NW of epicenterPurral(pop: 30,000)III: WeakGoicoechea, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica146 km (91 mi)NW of epicenterGuadalupe(pop: 26,000)III: WeakGoicoechea, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica147 km (91 mi)NW of epicenterSan Jose(pop: 335,000)III: WeakSan Jose, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica147 km (91 mi)NW of epicenterSan Vicente(pop: 34,400)III: WeakMoravia, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica147 km (91 mi)NW of epicenterCalle Blancos(pop: 20,700)III: WeakGoicoechea, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica147 km (91 mi)NW of epicenterSan Vicente(pop: 34,400)III: WeakMoravia, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica147 km (91 mi)NW of epicenterSan Vicente de Moravia(pop: 34,400)III: WeakMoravia, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica148 km (92 mi)NW of epicenterColima(pop: 15,900)III: WeakTibas, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica149 km (92 mi)NW of epicenterSan Juan(pop: 26,000)III: WeakTibas, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica149 km (93 mi)NW of epicenterSan Rafael(pop: 25,400)III: WeakEscazu, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica155 km (96 mi)NW of epicenterSan Francisco(pop: 55,900)III: WeakHeredia, Provincia de HerediaCosta RicaNotes:(*) Shaking intensity according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) and estimated using seismic models.User-reports for this quake (2)So far, we have received 2 reports for this quake from Panama. The quake was reported to have been felt in up to approx. 160 km (99 mi) distance, with isolated cases to have felt the quake even 414 km (257 mi) away.Most reports came from Panama City, the capital of Panama with 410,000 inhabitants in Provincia de Panama in 424 km (264 mi) distance east of the epicenter. Further below is a list of places where most people reported this quake.This section is being updated as new data comes in.User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.Translate414.2 km E of epicenter [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app)164.6 km WNW of epicenter [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app)List of cities/places with most reportsPlaceDistance from epicenterAverage reported Shaking IntensityNr. of reportsPanama City, Provincia de Panama, Panama(Pop.: 408,168)424 km (264 mi)E of epicenterIV: Light shaking1Note: Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (2 in total) could be used for statistics.What is Intensity and the Mercalli Intensity Scale?The amount of shaking that occurs on the surface due to an earthquake is called the intensity. It is commonly measured on the so-called Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) ranging from 1 (not felt) to 10 (extreme shaking), and given in Roman numerals as I,II,...IX, X, and often displayed with color codes ranging from light blue to dark red.Earthquake intensity depends mainly on the magnitude and depth of the quake as well as the distance from the epicenter: The further away, the less shaking intensity occurs.Read more about the MMI scale!Number of reports by intensityShaking intensityNumber of reportsMin-Max distance from epicenter (*)Average distance (*)IV: Light shaking1164–164 km (102–102 mi)164 km (102 mi)Notes(*) Reports are filtered to exclude those that are likely highly inaccurate or esaggerated.Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (2 in total) could be used for geographic statistics.Get the Android appI didn't feel itI felt this quakeIf you were near the epicenter and felt it, please share your experience and submit a short "I felt it" report! Other users would love to hear about it!If you did NOT feel the quake although you were in the area, please report it as well! Your contribution is valuable to earthquake science and seismic hazard analysis.Compare Quake DataData for the same earthquake as reported by different agenciesThe more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.MagDepthTime GMT2026-10-12EpicenterAgency4.910 km6.2 mi(*)23:28:20COSTA RICAEMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)Notes:(*) A depth given as 10 km often means that the the depth of the quake could be not determined with sufficient accuracy.Aftershocks for this quakeNo aftershocks have been recorded so far. When aftershocks are detected, we will update this section.What are aftershocks?Larger earthquakes (above magnitude 5 or so) such as this one are usually followed by smaller ones known as aftershocks that occur in the same area during the days, weeks, months or even years after the main shock.[More info]What about this quake?Based on its magnitude, the fault that was active during the quake likely ruptured beneath a surface area of approximately 8 km2 (3 square miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 5 km (3 mi).[More info]Recorded aftershocks, latest first (0 quake)Oct 12, 2026 05:28 pm (GMT -6)10 minutes ago - felt4.910 km0 km - This quakeProvincia de Puntarenas, 71 km SE of San Isidro, Costa RicaMain Shock (this quake)MoreMap of aftershocksEarthquake statisticsAverage number of earthquakesBased on data from the past 26 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 1,100 quakes on average per year in the area near the epicenter of this quake (within 100 km/61 mi):Mag. 7 or higher: 0.02 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 41.7 years)Mag. 6 or higher: 0.23 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 4.3 years)Mag. 5 or higher: 2.9 quakes per yearMag. 4 or higher: 61 quakes per year (or 5.1 quakes per month)Mag. 3 or higher: 538 quakes per year (or 45 quakes per month)Mag. 2 or higher: 1,100 quakes per year (or 2.9 quakes per day)Mag. 1 or higher: 1,100 quakes per year (or 3.1 quakes per day)The area where this quake occurred has a very high level of seismic activity. It has had at least 3 quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 40 to 45 years.Number of quakes per yearPrevious quakes in the same area of this earthquake