Central America
What tectonic plate is Costa Rica on?
Costa Rica spans 2 tectonic plates: the Panama Plate (75%) and the Caribbean Plate (25%).
- Plates
- 2
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 25
- Holocene volcanoes
- 10
- Land area
- 51,513 km²
Plates under Costa Rica
Share of Costa Rica's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
5 plate boundaries run through or along Costa Rica: the Caribbean-Cocos boundary (convergent, about 7.6 cm/yr), the Cocos-Nazca boundary (divergent, about 5.6 cm/yr), the Panama-Caribbean boundary (convergent, about 1.1 cm/yr), the Nazca-Panama boundary (transform, about 4.0 cm/yr) and the Cocos-Panama boundary (convergent, about 7.5 cm/yr).
- Caribbean and Cocos: convergent, 7.6 cm/yr
- Cocos and Nazca: divergent, 5.6 cm/yr
- Panama and Caribbean: convergent, 1.1 cm/yr
- Nazca and Panama: transform, 4.0 cm/yr
- Cocos and Panama: convergent, 7.5 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Caribbean-Cocos boundary, where the plates move about 7.6 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Costa Rica
Costa Rica has frequent large earthquakes: 25 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 35 of 213).
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 km S of Limón, Costa Rica | M7.6 | 1991 | 10 km | Panama |
| 11 km ENE of Hojancha, Costa Rica | M7.6 | 2012 | 35 km | Panama |
| 4 km WNW of Atenas, Costa Rica | M7.6 | 1939 | 25 km | Panama |
| Costa Rica | M7.5 | 1950 | 98 km | Panama |
| 70 km WSW of Golfito, Costa Rica | M7.5 | 1941 | 20 km | Panama |
| 7 km SSE of Puntarenas, Costa Rica | M7.3 | 1990 | 22 km | Panama |
Volcanoes in Costa Rica
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 10 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Costa Rica.
- Poas Stratovolcano · 2,697 m Last eruption 2026
- Rincon de la Vieja Complex · 1,729 m Last eruption 2024
- Turrialba Stratovolcano · 3,340 m Last eruption 2022
- Arenal Stratovolcano · 1,670 m Last eruption 2010
- Irazu Stratovolcano · 3,436 m Last eruption 1977
- Miravalles Stratovolcano · 2,028 m Last eruption 1946
- Barva Complex · 2,906 m Last eruption 6050 BCE
- Orosi Stratovolcano(es) · 1,659 m Last eruption Unknown
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Costa Rica on?
Costa Rica spans 2 tectonic plates: the Panama Plate (75%) and the Caribbean Plate (25%).
Is Costa Rica on a plate boundary?
5 plate boundaries run through or along Costa Rica: the Caribbean-Cocos boundary (convergent, about 7.6 cm/yr), the Cocos-Nazca boundary (divergent, about 5.6 cm/yr), the Panama-Caribbean boundary (convergent, about 1.1 cm/yr), the Nazca-Panama boundary (transform, about 4.0 cm/yr) and the Cocos-Panama boundary (convergent, about 7.5 cm/yr).
Does Costa Rica get earthquakes?
Costa Rica has frequent large earthquakes: 25 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 35 of 213). The largest was the M7.6 34 km S of Limón, Costa Rica in 1991.
Are there volcanoes in Costa Rica?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 10 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Costa Rica.