2012 Costa Rica earthquake

Last updated
2012 Costa Rica earthquake
Relief map of Central America.jpg
Bullseye1.png
UTC  time2012-09-05 14:42:08
ISC  event 601675877
USGS-ANSS ComCat
Local dateSeptember 5, 2012 (2012-09-05)
Local time08:42:08
Magnitude7.6  Mw
Depth40.2 km (25.0 mi) [1]
Epicenter 9°59′46″N85°19′05″W / 9.996°N 85.318°W / 9.996; -85.318
Areas affectedCosta Rica
Total damageUS$44.8 million [2]
Max. intensity MMI X (Extreme) [3]
Peak acceleration1.61 g (1580 cm/s2) [4]
Aftershocks1,650 [5]
Casualties2 dead

The 2012 Costa Rica earthquake occurred at 08:42 local time (14:42 UTC) on September 5. The epicenter of the 7.6 Mw earthquake was in the Nicoya Peninsula, 11 kilometers east-southeast of Nicoya. [6] A tsunami warning was issued shortly afterwards, but later cancelled. Two people are known to have died, one from a heart attack and another, a construction worker, crushed by a collapsing wall. [7] It was the second strongest earthquake recorded in Costa Rica's history, following the 1991 Limon earthquake. [8]

Contents

Geology

Costa Rica lies above the convergent plate boundary where the Cocos Plate is subducting beneath the Caribbean Plate at a rate of 9 cm per year. Off the Nicoya Peninsula, the Cocos Plate is subducting along the Middle America Trench, and the Nicoya Peninsula is unique in being one of the few landmasses along the Pacific Rim located directly above the seismogenic zone of a subduction megathrust fault. [9] The earthquake is thought to have occurred as a result of thrust faulting on the plate interface. [10] [11] The earthquake has a maximum slip of about 2.5 m. [12] The 1950 earthquake essentially the same part of the plate boundary as the 2012 earthquake. [11]

The same area was struck by a M7.7 earthquake in 1950 but had been quiet before the recent earthquake, and the segment of the plate boundary was known as the Nicoya Peninsula seismic gap. In the intervening period, up to 2010, there was an estimated 5 m of missing displacement. Studies determined that the earthquake recurrence interval for the Nicoya Peninsula was about 50 years. [13] The Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI) stated that the earthquake had released 40% of the energy accumulated during the 8 years before it and did not exclude the possibility of an earthquake of equal or larger magnitude. [14]

Earthquake

The earthquake was felt all over Costa Rica as well as in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Panama. [7] [15] The maximum intensity reached MM X or higher in Nosara near the epicenter. The shaking had intensities of MM VIII in Santa Cruz and MM V in San José. [3] [12] The recorded acceleration in Fraijanes, Alajuela was larger than that of Nicoya, Guanacaste. [16] A tsunami warning was issued for neighbouring countries along the Pacific Coast shortly afterwards, but later cancelled. [17]

USGS ShakeMap for the event 2012eartquakeincostarica.jpg
USGS ShakeMap for the event

In neighbouring Nicaragua, the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies began monitoring the seven active volcanoes in the country, expecting that the strong earthquake could activate them. The country's highest volcano, San Cristóbal Volcano (1,745 metres), erupted on September 8, sending an ash cloud to 5,000 metres and forcing the evacuation of 3,000 people from five communities in the area. [18]

Aftershocks

Some 1,650 aftershocks occurred in the following five days, including one of 5.4 magnitude, or Mw 5.7 by USGS, [19] about 13 km southeast of Playa Sámara on September 8 at 20:29 UTC (14:29 local time), according to OVSICORI, with no further damage or casualties reported. [5] [20]

The most powerful aftershock since the September earthquake, lasting at least 30 seconds and measuring magnitude 6.6, struck at 00:45 UTC on 24 October 2012 (18:45 on 23 October, locally) near the town of Hojancha in the Nicoya Peninsula. [21] [22] [23] [24] In San José, people rushed to the streets out of fear. A thunderous sound accompanying the aftershock was reported by residents in Matapalo. [25]

Damage

There were reports of homes destroyed in the cantons of Hojancha, Nicoya, Nandayure, and Santa Cruz of the province of Guanacaste. [26] Building damage was reported in San José, including broken windows, cracks on walls, and materials detached from the buildings. In the city center of San José, many people stopped working and grouped on the streets waiting for safety checks for the buildings. [27] In total, at least 169 houses were damaged. [28] Cracks were found at the dyke protecting Filadelfia from the Tempisque River. [28] The Hospital Monseñor Sanabria in Puntarenas suffered damage, and the building was partially closed. [29]

School classes were cancelled for one day in stricken areas and students were evacuated. [30] Fifty-five thousand people were deprived of running water in the provinces of Puntarenas and Guanacaste. [31] A water tank in Filadelfia collapsed. [32] Power losses were reported in some areas in and around the capital city San José and in the Nicoya Peninsula and the Chira Island. [28] [31] [33] [34] GSM and 3G services were interrupted in some places near the epicentre. [35]

Relief and reconstruction

Following the earthquake, the Ministry of Public Education announced that 56 schools in the country would have to be demolished and rebuilt at a preliminary cost of ₡3 billion (US$6 million). The final bill will be higher, however, because many other schools suffered lesser damage which also requires repair. [36] The Costa Rican Red Cross deployed emergency teams with about 205 members and 66 vehicles. [32] According to a preliminary estimation from the Costa Rican government, the earthquake caused a loss of about ₡22.36 billion (US$44.8 million). [2] Facing the damage, the president of Costa Rica expressed the need of a loan from the World Bank. [37]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Costa Rica</span>

Costa Rican culture has been heavily influenced by Spanish culture ever since the Spanish colonization of the Americas including the territory which today forms Costa Rica. Parts of the country have other strong cultural influences, including the Caribbean province of Limón and the Cordillera de Talamanca which are influenced by Jamaican immigrants and indigenous native people, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guanacaste Province</span> Province of Costa Rica

Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern region of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Alajuela Province to the east, and Puntarenas Province to the southeast. It is the most sparsely populated of all the provinces of Costa Rica. The province covers an area of 10,141 square kilometres (3,915 sq mi) and as of 2010, had a population of 354,154, with annual revenue of $2 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberia, Costa Rica</span> District in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Liberia is a district and the largest city in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica, located 215 kilometres (134 mi) northwest of the national capital, San José. Part of the Liberia canton, it is a major center for the country's tourism industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicoya</span> District in Nicoya canton, Guanacaste province, Costa Rica

Nicoya is a district and head city of the Nicoya canton, in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica, located on the Nicoya Peninsula. It is one of the country's most important tourist zones; it serves as a transport hub to Guanacaste's beaches and national parks.

Nicoya is a canton in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. The head city is in Nicoya district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Cruz (canton), Costa Rica</span> Canton in Guanacaste province, Costa Rica

Santa Cruz is a canton in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. The head city is in Santa Cruz district.

Nandayure is a canton in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. The head city is in Carmona district.

Hojancha is a canton in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. The head city is in Hojancha district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puerto Carrillo</span> District in Hojancha canton, Guanacaste province, Costa Rica

Puerto Carrillo is a district of the Hojancha canton, in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Pichilemu earthquakes</span> 6.9 and 7.0 MW intraplate earthquakes 2010 in Chile

The 2010 Pichilemu earthquakes, also known as the Libertador O'Higgins earthquakes, were a pair of intraplate earthquakes measuring 6.9 and 7.0 Mw that struck Chile's O'Higgins Region on 11 March 2010 about 16 minutes apart. The earthquakes were centred 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) northwest of the city of Pichilemu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A.D. Guanacasteca</span> Football club

Asociación Deportiva Guanacasteca is a Costa Rican football team based in Nicoya, Guanacaste. They currently play in the Costa Rican First Division. Their home stadium is Estadio Chorotega.

Events in the year 2013 in Costa Rica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johanna Solano</span>

Johanna Solano López is a Costa Rican TV Host, model, actress, triathlete and ex beauty pageant titleholder who represented her country at Miss Universe 2011 and placed Top 10.

Starting on December 28, 2019, and progressing into 2020, the southwestern part of the island of Puerto Rico was struck by an earthquake swarm, including 11 that were of magnitude 5 or greater. The largest and most damaging of this sequence was a magnitude 6.4 Mw, which occurred on January 7 at 04:24 AST (08:24 UTC), with a maximum felt intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. At least one person was killed, and several others were injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Mala earthquake</span> 6.0 magnitude earthquake in Mala, Lima, Peru

The 2021 Mala earthquake, with a Richter magnitude of 6.0 and moment magnitude of 5.9, struck on June 22, 2021, at 21:54:18 local time (UTC-5) with an epicenter off the coast of Mala in the department of Lima. Following the main event, there were more than 15 aftershocks, with the largest being a magnitude 4.8 event at 07:03 local time on June 23.

The 2010 Aguas Buenas earthquake, also referred to as the 2010 Christmas Eve earthquake, occurred on December 24 at 7:43 p.m. local time in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico. It measured 5.1 on the moment magnitude scale and had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). The event was the largest in Puerto Rico since May 16th of the same year, and the largest to impact the San Juan metropolitan area since 1975. The earthquake was felt throughout the island of Puerto Rico, the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra, the American and British Virgin Islands, and even in the Dominican Republic across the Mona Passage.

The 1910 Costa Rica earthquakes were a series of destructive seismic events that affected Cartago, Costa Rica from 13 April to 4 May. The sequence began with a Ms  5.8 earthquake. The largest and most destructive in the sequence occurred on 4 May, measuring Ms  6.4. A total of 2,450 people were killed and the city of Cartago was severely affected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Michoacán earthquake</span> 2022 earthquake in Mexico

On 19 September 2022, a moment magnitude 7.6-7.7 earthquake struck between the Mexican states of Michoacán and Colima at 13:05:06 local time. The earthquake had a depth of 26.9 km (16.7 mi), resulting in a maximum intensity of VIII (Severe) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. The USGS reported the epicentre was 35 km (22 mi) southwest of the town of Aquila. Two people were killed and at least 35 others were injured across several states. A magnitude 6.8 aftershock struck on 22 September, causing three more deaths.

The 1822 Costa Rica earthquake had an estimated surface-wave magnitude of 7.5–7.6 and struck the nation's Caribbean coast. The earthquake largely affected the country's east coast and generated a tsunami. Thrust faulting was inferred as a plausible mechanism for the earthquake and its damage pattern was similar to a 1991 shock of similar magnitude. Damage was also recorded in neighbouring countries.

References

  1. ↑ "Magnitude 7.6 - COSTA RICA: Technical". United States Geological Survey. 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  2. 1 2 "Gobierno estima daños por terremoto en ¢22.000 millones - EL PAÍS - La Nación". Nacion.com. 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
  3. 1 2 "Reporte". Lis.ucr.ac.cr. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  4. ↑ "Laboratorio de Ingeniería Sísmica". Lis.ucr.ac.cr. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  5. 1 2 Latest report from Ovsicori: 1,650 aftershocks registered The Tico Times, 2012-09-10.
  6. ↑ M7.6 - 12km ESE of Hojancha, Costa Rica United States Geological Survey, 5 September 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Powerful earthquake rocks Costa Rica's north-west". BBC News. 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  8. ↑ Marino Protti: ‘Podíamos decir dónde y qué tan grande sería el terremoto 2012’ La Nación, 2014-02-05. (in Spanish)
  9. ↑ "Megathrust earthquakes, coastal uplift, and emergent marine terraces of Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula". Serc.carleton.edu. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  10. ↑ "Magnitude 7.6 - COSTA RICA: Summary". United States Geological Survey. 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
  11. 1 2 Mann, Paul; Calais, Eric; Ruegg, Jean-Claude; Demets, Charles; Jansma, Pamela E.; Mattioli, Glen S. (2002). "Earthquakes". Tectonics. 21 (6). Labs.cas.usf.edu: 7–1–7–26. doi:10.1029/2001TC001304 . Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  12. 1 2 "Terremoto del 05 de setiembre del 2012". Lis.ucr.ac.cr. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  13. ↑ Morrish S.C.; Butcher A.J.; Ritzinger B.T.; Wellington K.L.; Marshall J.S. (2010). "Tectonic geomorphology and earthquake hazards of the Nicoya Peninsula Seismic Gap, Costa Rica, Central America" (PDF). Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  14. ↑ "Terremoto de Nicoya solo liberó el 40% de la energía acumulada - SUCESOS - La Nación". Nacion.com. 2012-09-12. Archived from the original on 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  15. ↑ Cota, Isabella (2012-09-05). "Powerful quake hits Costa Rica, two dead". Reuters. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  16. ↑ "En zonas de Alajuela el suelo se movió más que en Nicoya - EL PAÍS - La Nación". Nacion.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  17. ↑ "USGS: Major earthquake hits Costa Rica, tsunami warning issued; c.2012 World News on NBCNEWS.com". Worldnews.nbcnews.com. 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  18. ↑ Nicaragua’s San Cristóbal volcano erupts Archived September 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine The Tico Times, 2012-09-08.
  19. ↑ "M5.7 - 8km ENE of Hojancha, Costa Rica 2012-09-08 20:29:31 UTC". Comcat.cr.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  20. ↑ "Sismicidad Mensual". Ovsicori.una.ac.cr. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  21. ↑ Réplica de terremoto de Nicoya causó gran alarma en el país Archived 2012-10-24 at the Wayback Machine La Nación, 2012-10-24. (in Spanish)
  22. ↑ Temblor fuerte de 6.6 grados en Nicoya Archived 2012-10-30 at the Wayback Machine La Nación, 2012-10-23. (in Spanish)
  23. ↑ Magnitude-6.6 earthquake rocks Costa Rica on Tuesday night The Tico Times, 2012-10-23.
  24. ↑ M6.5 - 13km ENE of Hojancha, Costa Rica United States Geological Survey, 2012-10-23.
  25. ↑ "Temblor de 6.5 sacude Costa Rica". Milenio.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  26. ↑ "Sismo destruyó viviendas en varios cantones de Guanacaste y Alajuela - EL PAÍS - La Nación". Nacion.com. 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  27. ↑ "Temblor causó daños en algunos edificios de San José - SUCESOS - La Nación". Nacion.com. 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  28. 1 2 3 "Recuento: 169 casas dañadas y 260 personas en albergues - SUCESOS - La Nación". Nacion.com. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  29. ↑ "Telenoticias7/Nacionales". Telenoticias7.com. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  30. ↑ "MEP suspende clases en la zona de influencia del temblor - SUCESOS - La Nación". Nacion.com. 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  31. 1 2 "55 MIL SIN AGUA Y 21 MIL SIN LUZ". DiarioExtra.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  32. 1 2 "DREF operation n° MDRCR010 GLIDE n° EQ-2012-000160-CR". International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. 2012-09-07.
  33. ↑ "Fuerza y Luz ya restableció fluido eléctrico en zonas afectadas luego de temblor - SUCESOS - La Nación". Nacion.com. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  34. ↑ "Tsunami warning issued after Costa Rica earthquake". London: Telegraph. 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  35. ↑ "ICE reporta afectación en telefonía GSM y 3G y zonas cerca del sismo sin luz - SUCESOS - La Nación". Nacion.com. Retrieved 2012-11-09.
  36. ↑ MEP deberá reconstruir 56 escuelas a raíz del terremoto La Nación, 2012-09-10.
  37. ↑ "Informes Determinarán Monto De Préstamo Para Afrontar Daños De Terremoto". Prensalibre.cr. Archived from the original on 2013-02-10. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.