Earthquakes Today Strike Near Colombia's Puracé Volcano
Multiple earthquakes struck various global locations in recent days, including a magnitude-4.1 event near Colombia's Puracé volcano, a swarm of small tremors continuing in Granada, Spain, and minor quakes recorded in New Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and following prior activity in Venezuela. Earthquakes today continue to draw attention from monitoring agencies across these regions.
Recent Earthquake in Colombia Near Puracé Volcano
A magnitude-4.1 earthquake occurred at 8:58 p.m. local time near Totoró, Colombia, at a shallow depth approximately 14 km from Totoró, 19 km from Puracé and 23 km from Silvia, in the area of influence of Puracé volcano within the Los Coconucos volcanic chain. [2] The Colombian Geological Service has been monitoring ongoing seismic activity including fluid dynamics tremors under the crater at depths less than 1 km and volcano-tectonic fracturing events between 13-19 km northeast of the volcano at 7-11 km depths, with a prior felt event of magnitude 3.1. [2] The event took place in the context of activity the Servicio Geológico Colombiano already monitored in the Los Coconucos volcanic chain. [2] Data from the Servicio Geológico Colombiano form part of the permanent follow-up the entity carries out on the Los Coconucos volcanic chain and particularly on Puracé volcano. [2]
Ongoing Seismic Swarm in Granada, Spain
Earthquakes continue near Colombia's Puracé volcano as seismic activity persists in the region. — Source: gdelt Two additional small earthquakes struck overnight in Granada, Spain: magnitude 1.6 at 2:09 a.m. southeast of La Zubia at 6 km depth and magnitude 1.7 at 4:23 a.m. southwest of Maracena at surface depth, adding to recent low-magnitude tremors in the Vega de Granada area. [3] A larger seismic swarm in Granada began with magnitude-4.8 events on 15 and 18 August, causing material damage, building evacuations in the Zaidín neighborhood, injuries, and ongoing aftershocks, with three more apartment blocks recently evacuated due to structural concerns. [3] The Instituto Geográfico Nacional maintains continuous tracking of seismic activity in the Granada metropolitan area. [3] The investigator from the Instituto Andaluz de Geofísica, Mercedes Feriche, states that it is difficult to predict the end of this seismic series. [3] The earthquakes respond to the geological reality of Granada and its Vega due to its proximity to the meeting of the Eurasian and African tectonic plates. [3]
Minor Quakes Recorded in the Americas
The USGS recorded a magnitude-2.6 quake 14 km SSW of Jal, New Mexico at 2.5 km depth. [1] A magnitude-3.0 quake was recorded 38 km north of Charlotte Amalie in the U.S. Virgin Islands at 77.5 km depth. [4] Following the 2026 earthquakes in Venezuela's La Guaira state, Oxfam analysis of 38 informal camps and 20 water points housing 3,595 displaced people highlighted gaps in water, sanitation, and hygiene services. [5] These USGS detections add to the picture of scattered low-magnitude activity across the Americas in the same period. [1] [4]
Monitoring and Public Reporting Efforts
The Colombian Geological Service has been monitoring ongoing seismic activity including fluid dynamics tremors under the crater at depths less than 1 km and volcano-tectonic fracturing events between 13-19 km northeast of the volcano at 7-11 km depths, with a prior felt event of magnitude 3.1. [2] The SGC also invited people who felt the movement to report it through the Sismo Sentido platform. [2] In Spain the Instituto Geográfico Nacional maintains continuous tracking of seismic activity in the Granada metropolitan area. [3] The Servicio Geológico Colombiano informed about the new seismic event registered during the night in the department of Cauca. [2]
Humanitarian Impacts and Response
Following the 2026 earthquakes in Venezuela's La Guaira state, Oxfam analysis of 38 informal camps and 20 water points housing 3,595 displaced people highlighted gaps in water, sanitation, and hygiene services. [5] Teams surveyed 38 informal camps and 20 water points in the municipality of Vargas, La Guaira State, housing 1,168 families or 3,595 people displaced by the 2026 earthquake. [5] The report analyzes in technical form the coverage of water, sanitation and hygiene for this population. [5]
What to watch next: The Colombian Geological Service continues its permanent monitoring of the Los Coconucos volcanic chain while the Instituto Geográfico Nacional tracks the ongoing swarm in Granada.
