M7.4 Earthquake — 5 km S of San José del Palmar, Colombia

Measurements

Measured by

Earthquake data courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

This is a scientific measurement of an event that has already happened. It is not a warning, and it does not tell you what to do.

Not rated by source. US Geological Survey does not publish a severity for this; the level shown is our own classification.

View original report

Also reported by: EMSC EMSC GDACS

This event as JSON · API and licence

Source updated 69 days ago (Aug 11, 2026 12:28 UTC) · we last heard from US Geological Survey 45 seconds ago

What USGS has published since this earthquake

Aftershock forecast

USGS gives a 44% chance of at least one aftershock of magnitude 5 or larger in the month to 12 Nov 2026, a 6% chance of magnitude 6 or larger, and less than a 1% chance of magnitude 7 or larger.

USGS puts less than a 1% chance on an earthquake larger than this magnitude 7.4 following in the month to 12 Nov 2026.

Since the mainshock USGS has recorded 51 aftershocks of magnitude 3 or larger, 1 of them magnitude 5 or larger.

USGS forecast issued 12 Oct 2026 20:01 UTC, reviewed by USGS seismologists. A forecast gives chances, not times: it cannot say when or where an aftershock will strike.

Shaking and its likely impact

USGS estimates about 7.1 million people were exposed to very strong shaking or worse (intensity VII and above), and about 2.2 million more to strong shaking (intensity VI).

USGS's PAGER system gives a red alert for deaths, with 1,000 to 10,000 the most likely range; and a red alert for economic losses, with $1 billion to $10 billion the most likely range. These are estimates from a model of the shaking and the population it reached, not a count.

USGS PAGER, automatic.

Reports of the shaking

USGS received 1,251 "Did You Feel It?" reports; the strongest shaking reported was intensity IX (violent).

How far the shaking reached

• Very strong shaking (intensity VII) or more reached about 160 km from the epicentre at its farthest.
• Strong shaking (intensity VI) or more reached about 250 km from the epicentre at its farthest.
• Moderate shaking (intensity V) or more reached about 370 km from the epicentre at its farthest.
• Light shaking (intensity IV) or more reached at least 480 km from the epicentre, the edge of USGS's map.

USGS ShakeMap, automatic: an estimate built from seismic stations, felt reports and a model where there are neither. Distances are in a straight line from USGS's epicentre; the lines on the map above are USGS's contours, simplified. Shaking varies with the ground, so a place inside a line may have felt less or more.

From the U.S. Geological Survey. The USGS event page has the maps and everything USGS has published for this earthquake.

Official authorities in Colombia

If you are there, these are the bodies whose instructions apply. This site is not an emergency service and does not issue warnings.

• UNGRD — National Disaster Risk Management Unit
• Servicio Geológico Colombiano

More for Colombia →

General safety information

No authority has issued instructions for this event. The guidance below is general background reading, not a response to it.

Drop, Cover, and Hold On — what to do before, during and after an earthquake, plus emergency kit and family plan checklists.

Open Earthquake Safety Guide →