April 14, 1973 Earthquake: Tilaran, Arenal, Rio Chiquito, Costa Rica
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Tilaran, Arenal, Rio Chiquito, Costa Rica on April 14, 1973 at 08:34:00 UTC, 33 km below the surface. It killed 26 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- April 14, 1973
- Time
- 08:34:00 UTC
- Place
- Tilaran, Arenal, Rio Chiquito, Costa Rica
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 33 km (21 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 10.679° N, 84.759° W
- Country
- Costa Rica
The toll
- Deaths
- 26
- Injuries
- 100
- Damage
- $200,000
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
26 killed in Tilaran, Arenal, and Rio Chiquito areas, 100 reported injured. (reference #1053)
April 14, 1973, 08:34 UTC, 6.5 MS, Tilaran, 26 killed, few injured. (reference #1177)
21 killed, 98 injured, $200,000 damage. (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 4, 1910, Cartago, San Jose, Costa Rica
- December 30, 1952, Costa Rica
- January 8, 2009, La Paz, Costa Rica
- September 1, 1955, Costa Rica
- November 20, 2004, San Jose, Parrita, Quepos, Costa Rica
- July 6, 2000, Masaya, Nicaragua
- September 5, 2012, Nicoya, Costa Rica
- December 22, 1990, Alajuela, Santiago DE Puriscal, Costa Rica
- November 13, 2017, Jaco, Costa Rica
- July 10, 1993, Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica
- July 3, 1983, San Jose, Costa Rica
- October 5, 1950, Costa Rica-Nicaragua
- May 1844, Rivas, Greytown, Nicaragua
- May 13, 1952, Costa Rica-Panama
- March 25, 1990, Puntarenas, San Jose, Costa Rica
More
Significant earthquakes of 1973The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1973Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4634.