In early June, Town experienced a small surprise that had nothing to do with the rain.
Many were probably winding down from the day, and others already getting ready for bed, when a sudden shake moved through Guanacaste. It was brief, but strong enough to be felt clearly by many in the area.
According to the preliminary report from OVSICORI, the Observatorio Vulcanológico y Sismológico de Costa Rica, a research institute from the Universidad Nacional that monitors volcanic and seismic activity across the country, the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3 and was recorded at 9:01 p.m. Its epicenter was located near Zapotillal, a community in the Santa Cruz canton, only a short distance inland from the northern Guanacaste coast and relatively close to Las Catalinas.
Because of that nearby location, the movement was felt strongly in Town. Still, after a few seconds, the shaking passed, leaving behind only the usual pause, surprise, and maybe a little nervous laughter from those who find earthquakes a bit unsettling.
Costa Rica, however, is a naturally seismic country. Even when we do not feel them, small earthquakes happen frequently across the territory due to the country’s location along an active tectonic region. Costa Rica sits near the interaction of the Cocos and Caribbean plates, where the Cocos Plate subducts beneath the Caribbean Plate. This same geological setting is also part of the reason for the country’s volcanic activity and its place along the Pacific Ring of Fire.
For those who are newer to Costa Rica, one common question that comes up is about buildings and how prepared they are for this kind of movement. Costa Rica has a long history of seismic design, supported by the country’s Código Sísmico de Costa Rica, first published in 1974 and continuously reviewed since then. Before Costa Rica had its own seismic code, many engineers looked to international references, including standards used in highly seismic places like California. Today, however, the country has its own code, developed and updated with Costa Rica’s seismic reality in mind.
This code establishes technical standards for the analysis, design, and construction of buildings throughout the country, so they can respond safely during seismic events. In other words, buildings are not designed only for everyday use, but for a landscape where movement is part of life.
Like many natural events in Costa Rica, earthquakes are part of life in a country shaped by movement, mountains, volcanoes, and coastlines. Last Tuesday, we certainly felt that for a moment. After the brief scare passed, it was also a chance to recognize the strength of this living landscape, the same force that shapes the trees along the trails, frames the ocean views, brings the rains, feeds the wildlife, and sends each wave crashing back to shore. All of it belongs to the nature we love so much, not still, but alive.