December 22, 1990 Earthquake: Alajuela, Santiago DE Puriscal, Costa Rica
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Alajuela, Santiago DE Puriscal, Costa Rica on December 22, 1990 at 17:27:54 UTC, 17 km below the surface. It killed 2 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
- December 22, 1990
- Time
- 17:27:54 UTC
- Place
- Alajuela, Santiago DE Puriscal, Costa Rica
- Magnitude
- 5.7 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 17 km (11 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 9.869° N, 84.302° W
- Country
- Costa Rica
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 350
- Damage
- $19.5 million
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.
One person killed at Alajuela, one person died of a heart attack and about 350 people injured in central Costa Rica. Damage (VIII) at Santiago de Puriscal, (VII) at Alajuela and (VI) at Heredio and San Jose. Felt (VII) at Naranjo, Grecia and Alosta; (VI) at San Ramon, (V) at Cartago, Puntarenas and Paraiso, (IV) at San Isidro del General and Turrailba; (III) at La Fortuna de San Carlos, Canas and Siquirres; (II) at Sixaola, Los Chiles, Limon, Barra del Colorado, Liberia and Golfito. Felt throughout Costa Rica and in western Panama. (reference #1053)
$19.5 million damage. (reference #1250)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 4, 1910, Cartago, San Jose, Costa Rica
- April 22, 1991, Limon, Pandora, Panama, Costa Rica
- December 30, 1952, Costa Rica
- April 14, 1973, Tilaran, Arenal, Rio Chiquito, Costa Rica
- January 8, 2009, La Paz, Costa Rica
- September 1, 1955, Costa Rica
- November 20, 2004, San Jose, Parrita, Quepos, Costa Rica
- December 5, 1941, Costa Rica-Panama
- April 3, 1983, W, SE, Panama, Costa Rica
- November 13, 2017, Jaco, Costa Rica
- July 3, 1983, San Jose, Costa Rica
- July 10, 1993, Turrialba, Cartago, Costa Rica
- September 5, 2012, Nicoya, Costa Rica
- June 8, 1990, Santiago DE Puriscal, Costa Rica
- December 30, 1888, San Jose, Ala Juela, Heredia, Costa Rica
More
Significant earthquakes of 1990The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1990Recent 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 5271.