A significant Magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck under land 38 kilometer from Liberia in Costa Rica in the evening of Tuesday June 9th, 2026. Another country near the epicenter is Nicaragua.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Costa Rica, 38 kilometer (24 mi) southwest of Liberia in Guanacaste. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 65 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Jun 9, 2026 09:01PM (Costa Rica Time) - Jun 10, 2026 03:01 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 38 km SW of Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Coordinates 10°27'52"N 85°44'16"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 5.1 Detected by 524 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.025 . |
| Depth: | 65 km (40 mi) A quite shallow depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (4 km from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
2 countries can be found within 300km of the epicenter of this earthquake: Costa Rica and Nicaragua .
Liberia in Guanacaste, Costa Rica is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 38 kilometer (24 mi) southwest of Liberia.
Major cities near this earthquake: Managua is located 194 km to the north. San José is located 190 km to the east. Masaya is located 172 km to the north.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 38 km (24 mi) NE from epicenter |
Liberia Guanacaste, Costa Rica. |
| 47 km (29 mi) SE from epicenter |
Nicoya Guanacaste, Costa Rica. |
| 70 km (43 mi) E from epicenter |
Cañas Guanacaste, Costa Rica. |
| 85 km (53 mi) NE from epicenter |
San José Alajuela, Costa Rica. |
| 109 km (68 mi) N from epicenter |
Rivas Rivas, Nicaragua. |
| 112 km (70 mi) SE from epicenter |
Puntarenas Puntarenas, Costa Rica. |
| 118 km (73 mi) SE from epicenter |
Chacarita Puntarenas, Costa Rica. |
| 128 km (80 mi) SE from epicenter |
Esparza Puntarenas, Costa Rica. |
| 144 km (89 mi) E from epicenter |
Quesada Alajuela, Costa Rica. |
| 148 km (92 mi) N from epicenter |
Nandaime Granada, Nicaragua. |
| 162 km (101 mi) N from epicenter |
Jinotepe Carazo, Nicaragua. |
| 164 km (102 mi) N from epicenter |
Diriamba Carazo, Nicaragua. |
| 165 km (103 mi) N from epicenter |
Granada Granada, Nicaragua. |
| 167 km (104 mi) N from epicenter |
Masatepe Masaya, Nicaragua. |
| 169 km (105 mi) N from epicenter |
San Marcos Carazo, Nicaragua. |
| 172 km (107 mi) NW from epicenter |
San Rafael del Sur Managua, Nicaragua. |
| 172 km (107 mi) N from epicenter |
Masaya Masaya, Nicaragua. |
| 173 km (107 mi) SE from epicenter |
San Rafael Abajo San José, Costa Rica. |
| 174 km (108 mi) E from epicenter |
Alajuela Alajuela, Costa Rica. |
| 181 km (112 mi) N from epicenter |
El Crucero Managua, Nicaragua. |
| 183 km (114 mi) E from epicenter |
Mercedes Norte Heredia, Costa Rica. |
| 183 km (114 mi) SE from epicenter |
Tejar San José, Costa Rica. |
| 184 km (114 mi) E from epicenter |
San Francisco Heredia, Costa Rica. |
| 185 km (115 mi) E from epicenter |
Heredia Heredia, Costa Rica. |
| 185 km (115 mi) E from epicenter |
San Rafael San José, Costa Rica. |
| 187 km (116 mi) N from epicenter |
Juigalpa Chontales, Nicaragua. |
| 187 km (116 mi) E from epicenter |
San Pablo Heredia, Costa Rica. |
| 189 km (117 mi) E from epicenter |
San Felipe San José, Costa Rica. |
| 190 km (118 mi) E from epicenter |
San Juan San José, Costa Rica. |
| 190 km (118 mi) E from epicenter |
San José San José, Costa Rica. |
| 190 km (118 mi) E from epicenter |
Colima San José, Costa Rica. |
| 192 km (119 mi) E from epicenter |
Aserrí San José, Costa Rica. |
| 192 km (119 mi) E from epicenter |
Calle Blancos San José, Costa Rica. |
| 193 km (120 mi) E from epicenter |
San Vicente de Moravia San José, Costa Rica. |
| 193 km (120 mi) E from epicenter |
Guadalupe San José, Costa Rica. |
| 193 km (120 mi) E from epicenter |
San Vicente San José, Costa Rica. |
| 194 km (121 mi) N from epicenter |
Managua Managua, Nicaragua. |
| 194 km (121 mi) E from epicenter |
San Pedro San José, Costa Rica. |
| 195 km (121 mi) E from epicenter |
Purral San José, Costa Rica. |
| 195 km (121 mi) E from epicenter |
San Miguel San José, Costa Rica. |
| 195 km (121 mi) NE from epicenter |
Nueva Guinea South Caribbean Coast, Nicaragua. |
| 196 km (122 mi) E from epicenter |
Curridabat San José, Costa Rica. |
| 196 km (122 mi) E from epicenter |
Ipís San José, Costa Rica. |
| 197 km (122 mi) E from epicenter |
Patarrá San José, Costa Rica. |
| 197 km (122 mi) N from epicenter |
Tipitapa Managua, Nicaragua. |
| 200 km (124 mi) N from epicenter |
Ciudad Sandino Managua, Nicaragua. |
| 200 km (124 mi) E from epicenter |
San Diego Cartago, Costa Rica. |
| 215 km (134 mi) E from epicenter |
Guápiles Limón, Costa Rica. |
| 223 km (139 mi) N from epicenter |
Boaco Boaco, Nicaragua. |
| 252 km (157 mi) NW from epicenter |
León León, Nicaragua. |
| 274 km (170 mi) N from epicenter |
Matagalpa Matagalpa, Nicaragua. |
| 285 km (177 mi) NW from epicenter |
Chinandega Chinandega, Nicaragua. |
| 293 km (182 mi) N from epicenter |
Jinotega Jinotega, Nicaragua. |
| 300 km (186 mi) N from epicenter |
Estelí Estelí, Nicaragua. |
Shaking reported by 90 people in 2 countries
People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 90 people have reported shaking in 14 places in 2 countries (Costa Rica, Nicaragua).We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.
Places with most reports:
- Sardinal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica: 36 people.
- Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, Costa Rica: 22 people.
- Nicoya, Guanacaste, Costa Rica: 8 people.
- Sámara, Guanacaste, Costa Rica: 8 people.
- Belén, Guanacaste, Costa Rica: 5 people.
- Escazú, San José, Costa Rica: 2 people.
- San Juan del Sur, Rivas, Nicaragua: 2 people.
- Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica: 1 person.
- Hojancha, Guanacaste, Costa Rica: 1 person.
- Juntas, Guanacaste, Costa Rica: 1 person.
Aftershocks detected
Before this earthquake struck, 5 smaller foreshocks occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 3 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 3.6
Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks
| Classification | Magnitude | When | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreshock | M 2.8 |
2 days earlier Jun 7, 2026 01:01PM (Costa Rica Time) | 87 km (54 mi) NW from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.3 |
2 days earlier Jun 7, 2026 07:14PM (Costa Rica Time) | 74 km (46 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.4 |
11 hrs earlier Jun 9, 2026 10:06AM (Costa Rica Time) | 78 km (48 mi) N from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 3.6 |
3 hrs earlier Jun 9, 2026 05:41PM (Costa Rica Time) | 76 km (47 mi) W from Main Shock. |
| Foreshock | M 2.5 |
48 mins earlier Jun 9, 2026 08:13PM (Costa Rica Time) | 67 km (42 mi) NE from Main Shock. |
| Main Shock This Earthquake |
M 5.1 |
Jun 9, 2026 09:01PM (Costa Rica Time) | - |
More earthquakes coming?
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).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 April 15th, 2026, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 93 km (58 mi) further southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck on April 21st, 2022.
In total, 51 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.1 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 2 months.
Tsunami very unlikely
While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (4 km from the sea). | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 5.1. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 65 km (40 mi). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 10/06/26 18:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000sry7
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260610_0000048
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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