M5.6 Earthquake: 91 km SW of Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Updated 09:06 UTC · 29 Oct 2026

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 91 km SW of Tamarindo, Costa Rica at 21:55 UTC on 30 Sep 2026, at a depth of 8 km, reported by USGS. USGS PAGER issued a green alert: little or no damage and a low chance of deaths. USGS did not set a tsunami flag for this quake. No M2.5+ aftershock had been listed within 50 km when this page was updated.

M5.6

Magnitude (USGS)

mww

8 km

Depth

shallow

GREEN

USGS PAGER impact alert

estimated impact

Aftershocks M2.5+ so far

within 50 km

[ fig. 1 ] M5.6 EPICENTRE, AFTERSHOCKS AND PAST QUAKESThis quakeAftershock M5+AftershockPast M6+

USGS · updated 09:06 UTC 2026-10-29Tap a point for details · pinch or ctrl + scroll to zoomTrack this live in the app ›

Nearest places

Tamarindo, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica91 km from the epicentre · quake was SW of here · population 6,37591 KM
Santa Cruz, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica113 km from the epicentre · quake was WSW of here · population 12,281113 KM
Nicoya, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica121 km from the epicentre · quake was WSW of here · population 15,313121 KM
Liberia, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica149 km from the epicentre · quake was SW of here · population 45,380149 KM
Cañas, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica169 km from the epicentre · quake was WSW of here · population 20,306169 KM
Masaya, Nicaragua247 km from the epicentre · quake was S of here · population 130,000247 KM
Managua, Nicaragua263 km from the epicentre · quake was S of here · population 973,000263 KM
San Jose, Costa Rica265 km from the epicentre · quake was W of here · population 335,000265 KM
Leon, Nicaragua299 km from the epicentre · quake was S of here · population 145,000299 KM

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Strongest aftershocks so far

No M2.5+ aftershock listed yet.

Key context

Tectonic setting

Middle America Trench (Central America). The Cocos Plate subducts beneath the Caribbean Plate along the Middle America Trench, feeding the chain of volcanoes from Guatemala to Costa Rica. Strong quakes hit both offshore and in the crust near the volcanic arc, as in El Salvador in 2001 (M7.7 and M6.6) and Costa Rica in 2012 (M7.6).

The USGS moment tensor shows normal faulting: the crust was pulled apart and one block dropped down, typical of stretching crust or of bending in a sinking slab.

At 8 km it was a very shallow quake: shallow quakes shake the ground above them hardest, so local damage depends on how close towns are.

Shaking and impact

USGS PAGER estimates the impact from the shaking and the number of people exposed. For this quake it issued a green alert: little or no damage and a low chance of deaths (fatality alert: green, economic loss alert: green). PAGER is an early estimate and can change as reports come in.

The USGS ShakeMap estimates the strongest shaking at intensity IV on the Modified Mercalli scale (light).

4 people sent a "Did You Feel It?" report to USGS, with the strongest reported intensity II (weak).

Estimated shaking in nearby towns, from USGS PAGER.
Town	Population	Estimated intensity
Santa Cruz	55,104	III (weak)
Sardinal	14,912	III (weak)
Veintisiete de Abril	7,048	III (weak)
Tamarindo	6,375	IV (light)
Tempate	5,630	III (weak)
Nosara	4,912	III (weak)
Cuajiniquil	1,789	IV (light)

Aftershocks

This page counts quakes of M2.5 or more within 50 km after the main shock, from the USGS catalog (last checked 09:06 UTC, 29 Oct 2026): 0 aftershocks so far.

Aftershocks are normal after a quake of this size. They usually become less frequent over days and weeks, but a strong aftershock can still happen, and in a few sequences a later quake is larger. No one can predict their exact time or size; follow the official agency for your area.

Earthquake history within 250 km

Since 1976, USGS lists 293 quakes of M5 or more within 250 km of this epicentre, about 5.9 a year. Since 1900 the same circle had 161 quakes of M5.6 or larger.

Largest earlier quakes within 250 km, USGS catalog since 1900 (M6+).
Magnitude	Place (USGS)	Date	Depth
M7.7	83 km SSW of Corinto, Nicaragua	1992-09-02	45 km
M7.6	11 km ENE of Hojancha, Costa Rica	2012-09-05	35 km
M7.6	4 km WNW of Atenas, Costa Rica	1939-12-21	25 km
M7.5	Costa Rica	1950-10-05	98 km
M7.3	7 km SSE of Puntarenas, Costa Rica	1990-03-25	22 km
M7.3	92 km SW of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua	1907-12-30	35 km
M7.3	204 km WSW of Sámara, Costa Rica	1916-02-27	15 km
M7.2	Costa Rica	1900-06-21	0 km

Official information

OVSICORI
EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)
USGS event page for this quake (ShakeMap, PAGER, felt reports)
tsunami.gov for US tsunami bulletins

Data status

USGS review status: reviewed. Magnitude type: mww. USGS last updated this event on 8 Oct 2026 at 03:38 UTC. Magnitude, depth and location can still be revised; this page keeps the same address if they change.

Questions and answers

How strong was the earthquake near Tamarindo, Costa Rica?

USGS measured it at magnitude 5.6 (mww), 8 km deep. The strongest estimated shaking was intensity IV (light). Quakes of M5 to 5.9 are classed as moderate.

Was there a tsunami?

USGS did not set a tsunami flag for this quake. If you are on a coast and feel strong or long shaking, move to high ground anyway, and follow local officials.

Was the earthquake felt?

Yes. 4 people reported it to USGS "Did You Feel It?", with reports up to intensity II.

Will there be more aftershocks?

Aftershocks are likely to continue for days to weeks, becoming less frequent over time. So far 0 aftershocks of M2.5+ have been listed. Most sequences do not produce a larger quake, but some do. No one can predict the time or size of the next one; follow OVSICORI.

What should I do after a strong earthquake?

Expect aftershocks: Drop, Cover and Hold On when shaking starts again. Check for injuries and damage, stay out of damaged buildings, and use text messages instead of calls so emergency lines stay free. On a coast, move to high ground after strong shaking. Follow your local officials.

Related live pages

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Sources

USGS event page: magnitude, location, ShakeMap, PAGER and Did You Feel It? data for this event. Public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
USGS ComCat (FDSN event web service): the USGS earthquake catalog, used for the 30-year counts, history and aftershocks. Public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
USGS Geoserve: nearest places to the epicentre.
GeoNames: large-city coordinates, CC BY 4.0.

Page built 09:06 UTC, 2026-10-29. Full list: data sources and method.