The Colombian Geological Service (SGC) has documented at least four earthquakes of smaller magnitudes so far this Sunday, March 17, in different regions of the national territory.
The entity, which maintains permanent monitoring of seismic activity in the country and the world, explained that these earthquake movements have been registered in the departments of Santander, Tolima and Cundinamarca.
In turn, the SGC specified that the greatest intensity tremor recorded this Sunday had as its epicenter the municipality of El Carmen, Santander, with a magnitude of 3.6 and a depth of 114 kilometers.
This town, located in the northeast of the national territory, is located on the Bucaramaga Seismic Nest, which presents an unusual concentration of seismic activity on a more or less continuous basis and originates about 60% of the seismic activity in the country.
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In Colombia there can be around 2,500 earthquakes per month, but most of these do not reach a relevant magnitude or intensity, for this reason they are not perceived by the population, according to the SGC.
Here we share the list of the telluric movements that have been documented so far this Sunday:
- 5:26 AM | The municipality of Los Santos, Santander, was the epicenter of a new earthquake of magnitude 3.1 and its depth was 147 kilometers.
- 4:22 AM | The municipality of Fuquene, Cundinamarca, was the epicenter of a new earthquake of magnitude 2.2 and its depth was 138 kilometers.
- 2:37 AM | The municipality of El Carmen, Santander, was the epicenter of a new earthquake of magnitude 3.6 and its depth was 114 kilometers.
- 2:05 AM | The municipality of Honda, Tolima, was the epicenter of a new earthquake of magnitude 2.5 of superficial origin, that is, less than 30 kilometers.
Why don’t some people feel the tremors?
A telluric movement can be perceived by anyone, however, the conditions in which people find themselves will cause them to feel or not the natural phenomenon. Although it may seem incredible, there are often people who do not perceive the tremors. According to geology expert and professor at the University of Quindío, Armando Espinoza, there are several factors that when combined can influence whether or not a person can perceive an earthquake.
According to the geology expert and professor at the University of Quindío, Armando Espinoza, there are two factors that affect whether a person can perceive a tremor or earthquake. These two factors are, on the one hand, the exact location in which the citizen is and, on the other hand, the position in which he is. That is, a person may feel more or less of a telluric movement depending on the place and how they are, but it may also happen that they do not feel it.
In this sense, the university professor pointed out that it is not the same as a person standing, sitting, or lying down since each of these positions implies different perceptions. “We can all feel them in the same way. It is not that there are people who feel earthquakes and others who do not. The intensity with which we feel a tremor depends on the position of the person and where they are. That is, if you are standing you have less chance of perceiving it than if you are lying down or sitting you have more chance,” mentioned the earthquake expert.
After this, the university professor clarified that the positions of the body affect the perception of an earthquake, this is because each one represents a greater or lesser degree of contact with the Earth. That is, when standing the sensation is different than when lying down or sitting. Perception also changes when you are walking, since when you are in motion you don’t feel as much.