M7.4 Earthquake 5 km S of San José del Palmar, Colombia — August 10, 2026
2026-08-10 12:34:28 UTC (2 hours ago) · approx. 7:34 AM UTC-5 local
Felt by 660 people across surrounding communities. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 6.9 (very strong).
On August 10, 2026 at 12:34 UTC, a magnitude 7.4 intermediate depth earthquake struck 5 km S of San José del Palmar, Colombia, at a depth of 110.3 km and coordinates 4.8436°, -76.2422°. The earthquake was reported felt by 660 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 6.9 (very strong). The USGS PAGER system issued a orange alert level for this event, indicating regional impact possible. This earthquake was detected by 151 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 1521, making it one of the most significant global earthquakes in recent days. The nearest populated place is Zarzal (population 312,599).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 1.9 megatons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 77 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 6.9 (very strong), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Strong shaking felt by everyone. Heavy furniture may move. Books fall from shelves. Plaster and chimneys may crack. Damage is generally slight in well-built structures.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 660 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 4,752 |
| MMI 4 | light | 6,465,203 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 17,075,611 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 8,888,484 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 1,563,783 |
Earthquake Details
-76.2422°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 7.4 earthquake near San José del Palmar, Colombia?
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck 5 km S of San José del Palmar, Colombia on August 10, 2026 at 12:34 UTC had a depth of 110.3 km. It was felt by 660 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 6.9 (very strong). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 4.8436°, -76.2422°, which is 5 km S of San José del Palmar, Colombia. The nearest populated place is Zarzal (population 312,599).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 7.4 earthquakes can continue for months to years and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000tjl2). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, August 10, 2026). M7.4 Earthquake 5 km S of San José del Palmar, Colombia — August 10, 2026. Retrieved August 10, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000tjl2/