Residents across western Colombia woke up to a jolt on Saturday, September 12, when the Colombian Geological Survey (SGC) recorded a magnitude 4.6 earthquake at 6:16 a.m. local time. The agency pinpointed the epicenter near Istmina, a town in the Chocó department along Colombia’s Pacific coast, at a depth of about 43 kilometers (roughly 27 miles).
The tremor was strong enough to be felt well beyond its origin point. Social media users reported shaking in several municipalities across the departments of Valle del Cauca, Risaralda and Chocó, including the cities of Cali, Pereira and Armenia — all located in Colombia’s mountainous coffee-growing and Pacific regions, roughly 100 to 200 kilometers (60 to 125 miles) from the epicenter.
No injuries or major damage were immediately reported following Saturday’s quake. The event comes just days after a separate magnitude 4.5 earthquake gave residents of Cali a scare, prompting the precautionary evacuation of several buildings in the city.
Colombia sits along the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, where the collision of tectonic plates makes earthquakes a regular occurrence, particularly in the Chocó and Valle del Cauca regions. Authorities continue to monitor the area for aftershocks.
For the full report and updates from the Colombian Geological Survey, read the original story at El Tiempo.
Source: Fuerte temblor de magnitud 4,6 se registró este sábado, se sintió en Cali, Pereira y varios municipios (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock, USAF.