Shallow M5.4 Earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean near San Isidro (Costa Rica) on Tuesday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on November 18th, 2025. Last updated December 14th, 2025.

In the late afternoon of Tuesday November 18th, 2025, a shallow and significant MAG-5.4 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 72 kilometer from San Isidro, Costa Rica. Roughly 5.8 million people may have felt this earthquake. Another nearby country is Panama.

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Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 37 kilometers (23 mi) off the coast of Costa Rica, 72 kilometer south-southwest of San Isidro in San José. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Nov 18, 2025 04:36PM (Costa Rica Time) - Nov 18, 2025 22:36 Universal Time.
Location:	72 km SSW of San Isidro, San José, Costa Rica. Coordinates 8°48'19"N 84°0'53"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.4 Detected by 39 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.05 .
Depth:	10 km (6 mi) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 5.8 million people exposed to shaking

The USGS has published a report estimating the number of people exposed to this earthquake. Acoording to their analysis, roughly 5.8 million have been exposed to shaking at an MMI level of II or higher.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 0 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 5.3 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People in 3 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Costa Rica , around 5 million people, with impact levels up to V (moderate shaking, very light damage). Roughly 740 thousand people were exposed to shaking in Panama .

Nearby towns and cities

Costa Rica and Panama are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.

Located 72 kilometer (45 mi) south-southwest of the epicenter of this earthquake, San Isidro (San José, Costa Rica) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in San Isidro is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is V.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Shaking reported by 7 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 7 people have reported shaking in 7 places, all within Costa Rica.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

• San Rafael, San José, Costa Rica: 1 person.
• Palmares, Alajuela, Costa Rica: 1 person.
• San Isidro (San Isidro de El General), San José, Costa Rica: 1 person.
• Pejibaye, Cartago, Costa Rica: 1 person.
• Alajuela, Alajuela, Costa Rica: 1 person.
• Ipís, San José, Costa Rica: 1 person.
• Quepos, Puntarenas, Costa Rica: 1 person.

35 Aftershocks detected

After this earthquake struck, 35 smaller aftershocks occurred. Just 3 days after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-4.5 was detected 59 km (37 mi) north-northwest of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 5 smaller foreshocks were detected. Roughly 1 day before this earthquake, a foreshock measuring MAG-4.7 was detected nearby this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since October 22nd, 2025, when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit 70 km (44 mi) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on October 20th, 2022.

In total, 30 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.4 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 4 months.

Low tsunami risk

Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Sources

Last updated 14/12/25 00:58 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us6000rp1a
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20251118_0000379
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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