Earthquake
 

Just had an earthquake here....it is reported at 5.5 to 5.9 on the scale (depending on which site you look on) apx. 60 miles NNE of San Jose. I've lived in Nosara for 6 years and this was the biggest one I've felt. Hope the damage is not too bad.

Is that in the La Selva/Guapiles area or not that far east? Please keep us informed. Thanks, Allison.

Jill - all reports I've read online said it was 26 miles north/northwest of San Jose, centered around Zarcero area, not northeast. Could have road damage for those going to Arenal.

The quake was 9 Kilometers northeast of Zarcero, in the province of Alajuela. The depth was 100 kilometers, which kept the damage low. Thank God!

Zarcero, a small community north of Naranjo, Sarchi and better known Grecia, neighbours say that the quake was very strong, but no important damages or injuries were reported. So, tourists planning tours especially for months ahead should not be afraid. We should move on....

Earthquakes happen all the time in Costa Rica - in fact there are thousands of them. There is a new "map" that features a green dot for every earthquake and the map is pretty well filled up with green dots. The smaller ones are rarely felt and only the really big ones cause damage. I live on an extinct volcano and there are frequent earthquakes here. At first, it seems like a big truck passing the house but in a couple of seconds, you figure out it is an earthquake and then it is gone. One night, there was a humongous jolt of my house - something like a big jet breaking the sound barrier. It was a very shallow earthquake that lasted about 2 seconds and really jolted my house but did no damage at all.

People should not worry about earthquakes in Costa Rica. They happen all the time and it is rare to have any significant amount of damage. I suppose you could feel the same way about visiting San Francisco?

Glad the damage was minimal and everything is okay.

Okay, what should I say? I'm looking forward to all the little jolts and jerks? :D

My daughter had a shaky chair, floor, office in Oklahoma City yesterday. Now THAT is rare!