Shallow Magnitude 4.1 Earthquake Rattles Colombia: Insights and Impact

As indicated by the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake, the quake occurred at 12:07 pm local time and had a very shallow depth of 5 km. Shallow earthquakes tend to be more perceptible since they are closer to the surface. It’s crucial to remember that the precise magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the earthquake may need to be modified in the hours or minutes that follow as seismologists review data and fine-tune their calculations or as other agencies publish their findings.

Based on the initial seismic information, it’s likely that the quake was felt by numerous individuals in the vicinity of the epicenter. Any resulting damage should have been minimal, limited to occurrences like items falling from shelves or windows breaking.

In El Calvario (population 560), situated 6 km from the epicenter, the quake would have been perceived as light shaking. Residents of Restrepo (population 7,500), located 19 km away, Cumaral (population 11,300) at 24 km, and Villavicencio (population 321,700) at 28 km might have sensed weak shaking.

Other nearby towns and cities where the quake might have been barely noticeable include Acacias (population 40,600), about 46 km from the epicenter, Bogota (population 7,674,400) at a distance of 52 km, Soacha (population 313,900) at 64 km, Sibaté (population 23,200) at 67 km, Chia (population 64,600) at 68 km, and Fusagasuga (population 88,800) at 77 km.

Earthquake data:
Date & time: Aug 17, 2023 12:07 pm (GMT -5) local time (17 Aug 2023 17:07 GMT)
Magnitude: 4.1
Depth: 5.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 4.39°N / 73.67°W (El Calvario, Departamento del Meta, Colombia)
Primary data source: RaspberryShake