Under land 48 kilometer from Bucaramanga in Colombia, a MAG-4.6 earthquake occurred in the early morning of Saturday November 4th, 2023. Another country near the epicenter is Venezuela.
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Earthquake Summary
The earthquake struck on land in Colombia, 48 kilometer (30 mi) south of Bucaramanga in Santander. The center of this earthquake had an intermediate depth of 159 km.
| Date and Time: | Nov 4, 2023 06:00AM (Bogota Time) - Nov 4, 2023 11:00 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 48 km south of Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia. Coordinates 6°42'5"N 73°3'57"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.6 Detected by 354 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.029 . |
| Depth: | 159 km (99 mi) An intermediate depth. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Tsunami very unlikely Tsunami's are usually caused by MAG-6.5+ earthquakes, less than 100km shallow, and with an epicenter under sea. Neither of this seems to be the case. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Nearby towns and cities
Colombia and Venezuela are both located within 300km distance of the epicenter of the earthquake.
Located 18 kilometer (11 mi) north-northeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, San Gil (Santander, Colombia) is the nearest significant population center.
Major cities near this earthquake: Bogotá is located 258 km to the south-southwest. Bucaramanga is located 48 km to the north. Medellín is located 280 km to the west.
An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place |
|---|---|
| 18 km (11 mi) SSW from epicenter |
San Gil Santander, Colombia. |
| 32 km (20 mi) N from epicenter |
Piedecuesta Santander, Colombia. |
| 34 km (21 mi) SW from epicenter |
Socorro Santander, Colombia. |
| 37 km (23 mi) E from epicenter |
Málaga Santander, Colombia. |
| 40 km (25 mi) N from epicenter |
Floridablanca Santander, Colombia. |
| 42 km (26 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Girón Santander, Colombia. |
| 48 km (30 mi) N from epicenter |
Bucaramanga Santander, Colombia. |
| 88 km (55 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Pamplona Norte de Santander, Colombia. |
| 96 km (60 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Barrancabermeja Santander, Colombia. |
| 98 km (61 mi) S from epicenter |
Duitama Boyacá, Colombia. |
| 105 km (65 mi) SW from epicenter |
Barbosa Santander, Colombia. |
| 111 km (69 mi) S from epicenter |
Sogamoso Boyacá, Colombia. |
| 134 km (83 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Tunja Boyacá, Colombia. |
| 136 km (85 mi) NE from epicenter |
Santa Ana Táchira, Venezuela. |
| 136 km (85 mi) NE from epicenter |
Rubio Táchira, Venezuela. |
| 141 km (88 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Los Patios Norte de Santander, Colombia. |
| 142 km (88 mi) NE from epicenter |
San Josecito Táchira, Venezuela. |
| 142 km (88 mi) NNE from epicenter |
San Antonio del Táchira Táchira, Venezuela. |
| 142 km (88 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Villa del Rosario Norte de Santander, Colombia. |
| 146 km (91 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Cúcuta Norte de Santander, Colombia. |
| 147 km (91 mi) SW from epicenter |
Chiquinquirá Boyacá, Colombia. |
| 149 km (93 mi) E from epicenter |
Tame Departamento de Arauca, Colombia. |
| 150 km (93 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Capacho Nuevo Táchira, Venezuela. |
| 150 km (93 mi) W from epicenter |
Puerto Berrío Antioquia, Colombia. |
| 150 km (93 mi) NE from epicenter |
San Cristóbal Táchira, Venezuela. |
| 152 km (94 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Ureña Táchira, Venezuela. |
| 155 km (96 mi) NE from epicenter |
Táriba Táchira, Venezuela. |
| 156 km (97 mi) NE from epicenter |
Palmira Táchira, Venezuela. |
| 166 km (103 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Michelena Táchira, Venezuela. |
| 169 km (105 mi) SSE from epicenter |
Yopal Casanare, Colombia. |
| 172 km (107 mi) NNE from epicenter |
Colón Táchira, Venezuela. |
| 174 km (108 mi) N from epicenter |
Ocaña Norte de Santander, Colombia. |
| 176 km (109 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Villa de San Diego de Ubaté Cundinamarca, Colombia. |
| 185 km (115 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Segovia Antioquia, Colombia. |
| 185 km (115 mi) SSW from epicenter |
La Mesa Cundinamarca, Colombia. |
| 186 km (116 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Puerto Boyacá Boyacá, Colombia. |
| 189 km (117 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Aguachica Cesar, Colombia. |
| 191 km (119 mi) NNE from epicenter |
La Fría Táchira, Venezuela. |
| 196 km (122 mi) NNW from epicenter |
Morales Bolívar, Colombia. |
| 199 km (124 mi) NE from epicenter |
La Grita Táchira, Venezuela. |
| 214 km (133 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Zipaquirá Cundinamarca, Colombia. |
| 225 km (140 mi) SW from epicenter |
La Dorada Caldas, Colombia. |
| 242 km (150 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Santa Bárbara Barinas, Venezuela. |
| 248 km (154 mi) SW from epicenter |
Honda Tolima, Colombia. |
| 254 km (158 mi) SW from epicenter |
Facatativá Cundinamarca, Colombia. |
| 258 km (160 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Bogotá Bogota D.C., Colombia. |
| 263 km (163 mi) NE from epicenter |
El Vigía Mérida, Venezuela. |
| 264 km (164 mi) ENE from epicenter |
Guasdualito Apure, Venezuela. |
| 268 km (167 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Soacha Cundinamarca, Colombia. |
| 275 km (171 mi) NNW from epicenter |
El Banco Magdalena, Colombia. |
| 278 km (173 mi) W from epicenter |
Bello Antioquia, Colombia. |
| 280 km (174 mi) W from epicenter |
Medellín Antioquia, Colombia. |
| 285 km (177 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Envigado Antioquia, Colombia. |
| 285 km (177 mi) NNE from epicenter |
San Carlos del Zulia Zulia, Venezuela. |
| 286 km (178 mi) WSW from epicenter |
Itagüí Antioquia, Colombia. |
| 291 km (181 mi) SSW from epicenter |
Villavicencio Meta, Colombia. |
| 296 km (184 mi) WNW from epicenter |
Montelíbano Córdoba, Colombia. |
| 297 km (185 mi) NE from epicenter |
Mérida Mérida, Venezuela. |
| 297 km (185 mi) NW from epicenter |
Sucre Sucre, Colombia. |
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.
It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since September 16th, 2023, when a 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 9 km (5 mi) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck on March 10th, 2015.
In total, 77 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.6 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 months.
Tsunami very unlikely
It is very unlikely that this eartquake will cause any tsunami's. The reported magnitude is lower than the MAG-6.5 strength required to cause any earthquakes. In addition, this earthquake was not very shallow and appears to have occurred under land. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.6. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 159 km (99 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 08/12/23 15:08 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake us7000l8uy
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20231104_0000093
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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