M4.9 Earthquake 11 km NW of Villavicencio, Colombia — August 17, 2023
2023-08-17 17:40:16 UTC (2023-08-17) · approx. 12:40 PM UTC-5 local
Felt by 4 people across nearby locations.
On August 17, 2023 at 17:40 UTC, a magnitude 4.9 shallow crustal earthquake struck 11 km NW of Villavicencio, Colombia, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 4.2285°, -73.6849°. This earthquake was detected by 95 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 371, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.9 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 338 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 1.4 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 4 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
Earthquake Details
-73.6849°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 4.9 earthquake near Villavicencio, Colombia?
The magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck 11 km NW of Villavicencio, Colombia on August 17, 2023 at 17:40 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a light earthquake commonly felt near the epicenter.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 4.2285°, -73.6849°, which is 11 km NW of Villavicencio, Colombia.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 4.9 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000kp2s). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, August 17, 2023). M4.9 Earthquake 11 km NW of Villavicencio, Colombia — August 17, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000kp2s/