Strong and shallow M6.3 earthquake hits Colombia
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.3 hit central Colombia at 17:04 UTC (12:04 LT) on August 17, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
The epicenter was located 16.6 km (10.3 miles) N of Cumaral (population 11 263), 18.6 km (11.6 miles) NNE of Restrepo (population 17 610), 33.3 km (20.7 miles) NNE of Villavicencio (population 321 717), and 55.2 km (34.3 miles) NNE of Acacías (population 40 627), Meta, Colombia.
8 000 people are estimated to have felt very strong shaking, 340 000 strong, and 6 725 000 moderate.
The USGS issued a Yellow alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. Some casualties and damage are possible and the impact should be relatively localized. Past yellow alerts have required a local or regional-level response.
Estimated economic losses are less than 1% of GDP of Colombia.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are mud walls with wood and unknown/miscellaneous types of construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides that might have contributed to losses.
Landslides triggered by this earthquake are estimated to be limited in number and (or) spatial extent.
Liquefaction is estimated to be significant in severity and (or) spatial extent.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
Featured image credit: TW/SAM, Google
If you value what we do here, create your ad-free account and support our journalism.
Your support makes a difference
Dear valued reader,
We hope that our website has been a valuable resource for you.
The reality is that it takes a lot of time, effort, and resources to maintain and grow this website. We rely on the support of readers like you to keep providing high-quality content.
If you have found our website to be helpful, please consider making a contribution to help us continue to bring you the information you need. Your support means the world to us and helps us to keep doing what we love.
Support us by choosing your support level – Silver, Gold or Platinum.
Other support options include Patreon pledges, one-off payments using PayPal and purchasing products from our webshop.
Thank you for your consideration. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Teo Blašković
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules:
We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these rules. By commenting on our website, you agree to abide by these guidelines. Thank you for helping to create a positive and welcoming environment for all.