Two earthquakes of magnitude 5.4 and 4.8 shook the center of Costa Rica early this Monday, with particular intensity in San José and other points of the Greater Metropolitan Area. The movements have led to a succession of aftershocks and have caused isolated material damage, although no deaths or injuries have been reported.
The first earthquake occurred at 1:37 a.m., local time, and reached a magnitude of 5.4 Mw, according to the reviewed data from the National Seismological Network of the University of Costa Rica. The epicenter was located 11 kilometers north of Cascajal, in Vázquez de Coronado, in the province of San José.
The focus was located at just seven kilometers deep, a circumstance that favored the movement being felt strongly in numerous localities in the center of the country.
A second earthquake just two minutes later
At 1:39 a.m., just two minutes after the first movement, the National Seismological Network recorded another earthquake of magnitude 4.8 Mw in practically the same area.
This second quake occurred at 10 kilometers deep and had its epicenter about 10 kilometers north of Cascajal.
The data from the Costa Rican institution differs from those published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), which places one of the movements in the sequence at magnitude 4.9. The American agency locates that event at about ten kilometers deep.
Dozens of aftershocks after the two earthquakes
Seismic activity continued in the following hours. According to data released by specialists from the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica, around 30 aftershocks were recorded in the first hours linked to the Coronado sequence.
Among the subsequent movements is an aftershock of magnitude 3.8, recorded at 1:56 a.m. and at about eight kilometers deep. Other tremors of lesser magnitude were also detected during the early morning.
The quakes were felt in numerous points of the central area of Costa Rica, including various sectors of San José, Heredia, and Cartago, as well as in municipalities located farther from the epicenter.
Material damage, but no victims
The National Emergency Commission has received reports of isolated material damage and landslides, including a landslide, while emergency teams continue to assess the possible consequences of the seismic sequence.
So far, the Costa Rican authorities have not reported any fatalities or injured persons related to the earthquakes.
The National Seismological Network is monitoring the area due to the possibility that aftershocks may continue occurring after the two main tremors recorded during the early morning.