No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveOne year after the Nicoya quake, magnitude-5.9 temblor jolts Guanacaste

One year after the Nicoya quake, magnitude-5.9 temblor jolts Guanacaste

Exactly one year after the earthquake that struck the northwestern Nicoya Peninsula a temblor measuring magnitude-5.9 shook the province of Guanacaste at 6:29 a.m. Thursday, the University of Costa Rica’s National Seismological Network (RSN) said.

The Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (Ovsicori) reported the quake as a magnitude-5.3.

The epicenter was located 19 kilometers southwest of Manzanillo in Santa Cruz. That is 60 km from the Nicoya earthquake epicenter.

The RSN report indicates the temblor was caused by the collision of Cocos and Caribbean plates.

At 10:30 a.m., Ovsicori registered 36 aftershocks with magnitudes of up to four degrees, however most of them have not been felt.

Neither the Red Cross or the Fire Department have received any reports of injuries or damage to structures due to the quake.

On Thursday, President Laura Chinchilla and other government officials presented a report of all the actions taken by her administration on the first anniversary of the magnitude-7.6 earthquake. It jolted most of the country starting at 8:42 a.m. and lasted some 45 seconds. A 51-year-old woman died of a heart attack following the event, although she was not included in the official quake death toll.

According to official figures, the cost of infrastructure replacement was estimated at $100 million, $20 million corresponding to repairs to the Monseñor Sanabria Hospital in the Pacific province of Puntarenas.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Travelers Face Tighter U.S. Visa Social Media Scrutiny

The United States government has moved forward with plans to require certain international visitors to submit five years of their social media activity as...

Costa Rica’s Mighty Baird’s Tapir is the Quiet Giant of the Forest

Today we discuss a creature that’s very close to my heart, the Baird’s tapir. It’s an enormous, elephant-nosed, whistling, puddle-pooper. What’s not to love?...

Costa Rica Shifts Toward Regenerative Tourism Alongside Other Nations

Costa Rica has long stood out for its commitment to protecting natural areas through tourism. Now, our country joins a growing number of nations...

Guatemala restricts civil rights in indigenous region after deadly shootings

The government of Guatemala has restricted some civil rights for fifteen days in the Indigenous region where five people were shot dead on Saturday,...

Top Prize Unsold in Costa Rica’s Gordo Navideño Lottery Draw

The Gordo Navideño 2025 draw wrapped up last night with a twist that left many stunned: the top prize went unclaimed because the winning...

Costa Rica Named Key Drug Hub by European People’s Party Assembly

Members of the European Parliament's Partido Popular Europeo (EPP) have voiced serious worries about Costa Rica's increasing position as a key hub for drug...
L. Arias
L. Arias
Reporter | The Tico Times |
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica