Moderate magnitude 4.5 earthquake at 35 km depth25 Sep 15:58 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 49 seconds.25 Sep 16:07: Now using data updates from INETER25 Sep 16:09: Now using data updates from OVSICORIUpdate Fri, 25 Sep 2026, 16:00Seismic-like event, possible earthquake, reported few minutes ago near San Jose, San José, Costa RicaUnconfirmed quake or seismic-like event reported: Near San Jose, San José, Costa Rica, 2 minutes agoWe are receiving unverified early reports of ground shaking possibly caused by seismic activity in or near San Jose, San José, Costa Rica on 25 Sep 2026 (GMT) at approximately 15:58 GMT.There are no details yet on the magnitude or depth of this possible quake. If confirmed, we can expect more accurate data to emerge in the next few minutes. The location, magnitude and time mentioned are indicative, based on our best-fit seismic model. They are temporary until our AllQuakes monitoring service receives more exact scientific data from a national or international seismological agency. Check back here shortly and stay safe.If you were or still are in this area during the quake help others with your feedback and report it here.Download the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app and get one of the fastest seismic alerts online: Android | iOSI didn't feel itI felt this quakeEarthquake detailsDate & timeSep 25, 2026 15:57:20 UTC - Local time at epicenterFriday, Sep 25, 2026, at 09:57 am (America/Costa_Rica GMT -6)StatusconfirmedMagnitude4.5Depth35 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude9.0337°N / 83.7399°WPerez Zeledon, Costa RicaAlso near: Panama 89 km (55 mi) awaySeismic antipode9.0337°S / 96.2601°EShaking intensityIV Light shaking near epicenterFelt13 reportsPrimary data sourceOVSICORINearest volcanoDurika (61 km / 38 mi)Weather at epicenter at time of quakeOvercast Clouds 26.1°C (79 F), humidity: 68%, wind: 5 m/s (9 kts) from SWEstimated seismic energy released3.5 x 1011 joules (98.6 megawatt hours, equivalent to 84.8 tons of TNT) | equivalent to ONE quake of magnitude 4.5 | about seismic energy14 minutes ago reported feltSep 25, 2026 15:57 GMT / Sep 25, 2026 09:57 am (Costa_Rica time)Lat / Lng: 9.0337 / -83.7399: Costa Rica: 9.8 km Al Suroeste De Bahia Ballena De PuntarenasSource: OVSICORIOther sources: RaspberryShake: 4.5 / 35 km, INETER: 4.4 / 19 kmDetail info | Read user reports | You felt it? - Report it!';storedMarkers.push(['quake-23390874',9.03370,-83.73990,'14 minutes ago: Mag. 4.5, Costa Rica: 9.8 km Al Suroeste De Bahia Ballena De Puntarenas',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 Paraiso, a town with 40,000 inhabitants in Costa Rica, in 91 km (56 mi) distance north of the epicenter. People likely experienced weak shaking there. Several smaller towns and villages are located closer to the epicenter and might have experienced stronger shaking. In the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose, 107 km (67 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(*)RegionCountry32 km (20 mi)NE of epicenterMercedes(pop: 5,470)III: WeakPerez Zeledon, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica35 km (21 mi)N of epicenterDaniel Flores(pop: 10,000)III: WeakPerez Zeledon, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica37 km (23 mi)N of epicenterSan Isidro(pop: 34,900)III: WeakPerez Zeledon, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica47 km (29 mi)E of epicenterBuenos Aires(pop: 11,700)III: WeakProvincia de PuntarenasCosta Rica64 km (40 mi)NW of epicenterQuepos(pop: 7,810)III: WeakProvincia de PuntarenasCosta Rica76 km (47 mi)NW of epicenterSan Marcos(pop: 4,260)III: WeakTarrazu, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica91 km (56 mi)N of epicenterParaiso(pop: 39,700)III: WeakParaiso, Provincia de CartagoCosta Rica96 km (59 mi)NW of epicenterTejar(pop: 22,400)III: WeakAcosta, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica97 km (60 mi)N of epicenterTurrialba(pop: 29,000)III: WeakProvincia de CartagoCosta Rica100 km (62 mi)N of epicenterSan Miguel(pop: 28,800)III: WeakDesamparados, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica100 km (62 mi)N of epicenterPatarra(pop: 24,000)III: WeakDesamparados, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica100 km (62 mi)NW of epicenterAserri(pop: 25,900)III: WeakAserri, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica101 km (62 mi)N of epicenterSan Diego(pop: 17,000)III: WeakLa Union, Provincia de CartagoCosta Rica101 km (63 mi)N of epicenterSan Rafael Arriba(pop: 15,100)III: WeakDesamparados, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica101 km (63 mi)N of epicenterSan Juan de Dios(pop: 15,500)III: WeakDesamparados, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica103 km (64 mi)N of epicenterCurridabat(pop: 34,600)III: WeakProvincia de San JoseCosta Rica103 km (64 mi)N of epicenterConcepcion(pop: 14,000)III: WeakLa Union, Provincia de CartagoCosta Rica104 km (65 mi)N of epicenterAlajuelita(pop: 13,800)III: WeakProvincia de San JoseCosta Rica105 km (65 mi)NW of epicenterSan Felipe(pop: 25,000)III: WeakAlajuelita, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica105 km (65 mi)N of epicenterSan Pedro(pop: 27,500)III: WeakMontes de Oca, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica107 km (66 mi)N of epicenterSabanilla(pop: 13,300)III: WeakMontes de Oca, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica107 km (67 mi)N of epicenterSan Jose(pop: 335,000)III: WeakSan Jose, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica107 km (67 mi)NW of epicenterSan Rafael Abajo(pop: 27,400)III: WeakPuriscal, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica107 km (67 mi)N of epicenterGuadalupe(pop: 26,000)III: WeakGoicoechea, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica108 km (67 mi)N of epicenterPurral(pop: 30,000)III: WeakGoicoechea, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica108 km (67 mi)N of epicenterIpis(pop: 26,700)III: WeakGoicoechea, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica108 km (67 mi)N of epicenterCalle Blancos(pop: 20,700)III: WeakGoicoechea, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica108 km (67 mi)N of epicenterSan Vicente(pop: 34,400)III: WeakMoravia, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica109 km (67 mi)NW of epicenterSan Rafael(pop: 25,400)II: Very weakEscazu, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica109 km (68 mi)N of epicenterSan Vicente(pop: 34,400)II: Very weakMoravia, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica109 km (68 mi)N of epicenterSan Vicente de Moravia(pop: 34,400)II: Very weakMoravia, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica109 km (68 mi)N of epicenterColima(pop: 15,900)II: Very weakTibas, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica110 km (68 mi)N of epicenterSan Juan(pop: 26,000)II: Very weakTibas, Provincia de San JoseCosta Rica114 km (71 mi)N of epicenterSan Pablo(pop: 21,700)II: Very weakProvincia de HerediaCosta Rica115 km (71 mi)N of epicenterSan Francisco(pop: 55,900)II: Very weakHeredia, Provincia de HerediaCosta Rica117 km (72 mi)N of epicenterMercedes(pop: 26,000)II: Very weakHeredia, Provincia de HerediaCosta Rica121 km (75 mi)N of epicenterSiquirres(pop: 18,200)II: Very weakProvincia de LimonCosta Rica121 km (75 mi)NW of epicenterAlajuela(pop: 47,500)II: Very weakProvincia de AlajuelaCosta Rica132 km (82 mi)NE of epicenterPuerto Limón(pop: 63,100)II: Very weakLimon, Provincia de LimonCosta Rica132 km (82 mi)N of epicenterGuapiles(pop: 19,100)II: Very weakPococi, Provincia de LimonCosta RicaNotes:(*) Shaking intensity according to the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) and estimated using seismic models.User-reports for this quake (13)The first report about ground shaking reached us after only 50 seconds, before other agencies reported it. So far, we have received 13 reports for this quake from Costa Rica. The quake was reported to have been felt in up to approx. 50–110 km (31–68 mi) distance, with isolated cases to have felt the quake even 110 km (69 mi) away.The majority of reports came from San Isidro (3 reports), a town with 35,000 inhabitants in Provincia de San Jose in 37 km (23 mi) distance north of the epicenter, Costa Rica, Puerto Cortes (3 reports), a town with 3,900 inhabitants in Provincia de Puntarenas in 25 km (15 mi) distance east of the epicenter, and Salitral (1 report) (109 km or 68 mi to the northwest) in Provincia de San Jose. See the list of places where most people reported this quake further below.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.Contribute:Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it.Flag as inappropriate.Mark as helpful or interesting.Send your own user report!TranslateDominical (27.5 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : We were up stairs and felt the house shake sideways Uvita de osa Costa Rica (14.2 km N of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)near Puerto Cortes, Osa, Puntarenas Province (10.1 km NE of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our app)Tobosi, El Guarco, Cartago Province (91.7 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 sLa Bonita de Rivas (34.9 km N of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Just sat down and the house started shaking and the animals all looked up worried Platanillo (29.6 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : 2 second roll Ojochal (13.3 km ENE of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : sudden shaking, short duration, 2 total about 15 sec difference Salitral, Santa Ana, San José (110.6 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our iOS app)Coronado, cortes (17.8 km E of epicenter) [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s (reported through our app)near San Isidro, Pérez Zeledón (29.7 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Light shaking (MMI IV) (reported through our app)On my stairwell up to my house (106.9 km NNW of epicenter) [Map] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s46.1 km N of epicenter [Map] / Weak shaking (MMI III) (reported through our iOS app)Villa Nueva, Pérez Zeledòn (39.6 km N of epicenter) [Map] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : Very quick - the whole house just shuddered. List of cities/places with most reportsPlaceDistance from epicenterAverage reported Shaking IntensityNr. of reportsSan Isidro, Provincia de San Jose, Costa Rica(Pop.: 34,877)37 km (23 mi)N of epicenterIII: Weak shaking3Puerto Cortes, Provincia de Puntarenas, Costa Rica(Pop.: 3,850)25 km (15 mi)E of epicenterIII: Weak shaking3Salitral, Provincia de San Jose, Costa Rica(Pop.: 2,833)109 km (68 mi)NW of epicenterIII: Weak shaking1Tobosi, Provincia de Cartago, Costa Rica(Pop.: 4,060)93 km (58 mi)N of epicenterIII: Weak shaking1Mercedes, Provincia de San Jose, Costa Rica(Pop.: 5,467)32 km (20 mi)NE of epicenterII: Very weak shaking1San Jose, Provincia de San Jose, Costa Rica(Pop.: 335,007)107 km (67 mi)N of epicenterVI: Strong shaking1Note: Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (13 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 (*)II: Very weak shaking414.2–40 km (8.8–25 mi)28 km (17 mi)III: Weak shaking610.1–110 km (6.3–69 mi)52 km (32 mi)IV: Light shaking213.2–30 km (8.2–18.3 mi)21 km (13 mi)Notes(*) Reports are filtered to exclude those that are likely highly inaccurate or esaggerated.Only reports with latitude/longitude coordinate positions given (13 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 GMT2026-09-25EpicenterAgency4.535 km22 mi15:57:209.8 km al Suroeste de Bahia Ballena de PuntarenasOVSICORI4.535 km22 mi15:57:20Costa Rica0 km (0 mi) epicenter difference with OVSICORIRaspberryShake (RaspberryShake)4.419 km12 mi15:57:2022 Km al sureste de Dominical, Costa Rica6.3 km (3.9 mi) epicenter difference with OVSICORIINETERAftershocks 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 3 km2 (1 square miles) as a first-order estimate. The length of the rupture zone thus was probably around 3 km (2 mi).[More info]Recorded aftershocks, latest first (0 quake)Sep 25, 2026 09:57 am (Costa_Rica)14 minutes ago - felt4.535 km0 km - This quake31 km S of San Isidro, Provincia de San Jose, 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 1,300 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 62.5 years)Mag. 6 or higher: 0.23 quakes per year (or 1 quake every 4.4 years)Mag. 5 or higher: 1.99 quakes per yearMag. 4 or higher: 43 quakes per year (or 3.5 quakes per month)Mag. 3 or higher: 426 quakes per year (or 35.5 quakes per month)Mag. 2 or higher: 1,100 quakes per year (or 3 quakes per day)Mag. 1 or higher: 1,300 quakes per year (or 3.5 quakes per day)The area where this quake occurred has a very high level of seismic activity. It has had at least 2 quakes above magnitude 7 since 1900, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 60 to 65 years.Number of quakes per yearPrevious quakes in the same area of this earthquakeLat / Lng: 9.0337 / -83.7399: Costa Rica: 9.8 km Al Suroeste De Bahia Ballena De PuntarenasLat / Lng: 9.0337 / -83.7399: Costa Rica: 9.8 km Al Suroeste De Bahia Ballena De Puntarenas