M5.3 earthquake near Piedecuesta, Santander Department

What happened

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 3 km NW of Cepitá, Colombia on 7 Aug 2018, 15:53 UTC at a depth of 146 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.

The nearest town in our records is Piedecuesta, about 24 km away in Santander Department, Colombia.