Historic Earthquakes

Costa Rica
1991 April 22 21:56 UTC
Magnitude 7.6

Forty-seven people killed, 109 injured, 7,439 homeless and severe damage (IX) in the Limon-Pandora area. Intensity X was observed in some zones of liquefaction within the epicentral area. Some damage (VI) also occurred in the San Jose-Alajuela area and landslides blocked roads between Limon and central Costa Rica. Twenty-eight people killed, 454 injured, 2,400 homeless and 866 buildings destroyed (VII-VIII) in the Guabito-Almirante-Bocas del Toro area, Panama. Slight damage (VI) also occurred at David and Puerto Armuelles, Panama. Felt (IV) at Colon and (III) at Panama City. Felt (III) in eastern El Salvador and (II) at San Salvador. Also felt in Nicaragua and Honduras and on San Andres Island, Colombia. Maximum uplift of 1.4 meters was observed near Limon and sandblows and liquefaction caused subsidence of soils in the Bocas del Toro area. Ground cracks also occurred in the epicentral area. A 2-meter tsunami with maximum runup of 300 meters was observed in the Cahuita-Puerto Viejo area, Costa Rica. Tsunamis were also reported on Bastimentos, Carenero and Colon Islands and at Portobelo, Panama. The maximum amplitude of the tsunami in Panama was about 0.6 m. A 7-cm tsunami (peak-to-trough) was recorded on the tide gauge at Cristobal, Panama. Damage in Costa Rica estimated to be about 43 million U.S. dollars.
From Significant Earthquakes of the World 1991.