A magnitude 6.5 earthquake shook the Central Valley of Costa Rica late on Sunday, Nov. 12, causing minor damage in the lightly populated Puntarenas region of the Pacific Coast, according to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide.

The event occurred at a depth of about 12 miles according to the United States Geological Survey, and was followed by at least two aftershocks.

Costa Rica is at significant risk of exposure to earthquakes due to the country's subduction and volcanic environment. According to AIR, In Costa Rica, the primary construction type for residential buildings is masonry. The choice of masonry is chiefly influenced by wind design considerations, rather than by seismic considerations.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader

Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Denny Jacob

Denny Jacob is an associate editor for NU PropertyCasualty360. Contact him at [email protected].

Catastrophe & Restoration
Coverage & Policy Issues
Loss Control
Personal Lines
Public Sector Risk
Weather Risk