Strong and shallow M6.2 earthquake hits off the coast of Costa Rica
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.2 hit off the coast of Costa Rica at 17:43 LT (11:43 LT) on October 12, 2024. The agency is reporting a depth of 18 km (11.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Image credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 41.4 km (25.7 miles) NW of Tamarindo (population 6 375), 67 km (41.6 miles) WNW of Santa Cruz (population 12 281), and 75.9 km (47.1 miles) W of Liberia (population 45 380), Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica.
69 000 people are estimated to have felt moderate shaking and 1 856 000 light.
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are mud wall and adobe block construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides and liquefaction that might have contributed to losses.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.2 earthquake Costa Rica – USGS – October 12, 2024
2 M6.2 earthquake Costa Rica – EMSC – October 12, 2024
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
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