4.5 earthquake in Chocó shook eastern Colombia

At about 8:34 at night a shallow shallow tremor of 4.5 magnitude surprised the inhabitants of Chocó, the coffee region and the Valley. The earthquake originated in the municipality of Novita, according to the Colombian Geological Survey.

According to the report, the tremor originated in that central-western municipality of Chocoano, about 81 kilometers deep and with a perceived magnitude, that is, the sensation of the people who felt the movement, of 5.

The towns closest to the epicenter and where the movement was most felt were Rio Iró, Santa Rita, which are located about 21 km from the municipality of Novita and Medio San Juan, Andagoya, which are 25 km away.

The SGC received 305 reports of having felt the tremor in several departments: Valle Del Cauca (92), Antioquia (61), Risaralda (56), Quindio (49), Caldas (27), Chocó (15), Bogotá DC (3), Cauca (1), Cundinamarca (1), Santander (1), Tolima.

The Geological Survey received reports in total from 76 populated centers, including several capitals that felt it very soft, except for Medellin, but also from Manizales, Pereira, Armenia, Risaralda and Quibdo; as well as in Palmira.

Social media users reported feeling it from several municipalities and agreed that although it was fast, the movement was strong in most cases, even in some cities that are at a considerable distance from the epicenter such as Envigado.

Although users have reported having experienced several earthquakes lately, the fact is that most cases, according to the most recent historical report by the Geological Survey, have been cases of low magnitude and few of them superficial. In fact, earlier there was a movement of 2.5 in Bojayá, which was not perceived by the majority of the population.

Following the authorities' report, the Unit for Risk and Disaster Management and municipal relief agencies turned on the alert and activated the care systems to verify that the phenomenon did not cause infrastructure damage to homes or victims. Although there were no reports of emergencies.

The most recent event occurred last Monday, March 7, with a superficial event at the traditional earthquake epicenter of Los Santos in Norte de Santander, which was perceived by several cities around 1:34 in the afternoon.

The Colombian Geological Survey recorded at that time a magnitude 5 earthquake, which was felt by the inhabitants of 87 municipalities in Santander who reported the movement and began a sweep to determine if there was any structural damage.

According to the SGC, the depth of the earthquake was 154 km and in other cities such as Antioquia, Bogotá, Boyacá, Cundinamarca, Tolima, Caldas, Norte de Santander, Bolivar, Casanare, Cesar and Quindio, it was also felt.

According to seismographs installed in the Chicamocha canyon, between 12 and 20 shocks are recorded daily in the municipality of Los Santos, making this area of Colombia one of the most seismic activity.

If you are in an earthquake resistant structure, be located near columns, under a desk or in areas marked as safe, always away from glass or items that may fall.

Whereas, if it is an informal building, try to leave immediately and, during your evacuation, monitor your environment to identify hazards.

- Do not place under the door frames, as it is not a safe place, the frame helps to dissipate the energy of the earthquake, so it can break and collapse.

- If you are in your home, and only if possible, open the front door and the rooms, as they could lock and leave you and your family locked up.

- If you are in a public place such as a theater or cinema, stay in your chair, protect your head with your arms and wait for the earthquake to end, then evacuate.

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