The United States Geological Survey recorded
a Magnitude 4.8 Earthquake at a depth of 16.5 km, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, roughly 31 km to the southeast of the city of Puerto Limón, slightly before 11.00 pm on Tuesday 17 September 2019
local time (slightly 5.00 am on Wednesday 18 September GMT).
There are no reports of
any damage or casualties associated with this event, but it was felt
across much of Costa Rica and western Panama.
The approximate location of the 17 September 2019 Costa Rica Earthquake. USGS.
Costa Rica lies on the southern margin of the Caribbean Plate; to the south of the country the Cocos Plate, which underlies part of the eastern Pacific Ocean) is being subducted under the Middle American Trench, passing under Central America as it sinks into the Earth's interior. This is not a smooth process, and the plates often stick together until the pressure builds up enough to force them to shift suddenly, causing Earthquakes. As the Cocos Plate sinks deeper if is partially melted by the friction and the heat of the Earth's interior. Some of the melted material then rises up through the overlying Caribbean Plate, fuelling the volcanoes of Central America.
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.
