Colombia earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 2 km SSE of Cepitá, Colombia

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 2 km SSE of Cepitá, Colombia on Fri, Feb 20, 1981, 3:45 PM GMT-5 (20:45 UTC), 170 km (106 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.9 2 km N of Molagavita, Colombia. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.8 (mb), light
Local time
UTC
1981-02-20 20:45:11 UTC
Depth
170.0 km (105.6 mi), intermediate-depth
Epicenter
6.734° N, 72.961° W
Region
Colombia
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.62 km ESE of Molagavita, Colombia · 16645 days ago · 165 km deep · 20 km away
  2. 4.92 km N of Molagavita, Colombia · 16626 days ago · 171 km deep · 17 km away
  3. 4.44 km NNE of Molagavita, Colombia · 16622 days ago · 180 km deep · 18 km away
  4. 4.66 km NE of Jordán, Colombia · 16590 days ago · 169 km deep · 10 km away

Before

  1. 4.49 km ESE of Cepitá, Colombia · 16651 days ago · 178 km deep · 7 km away
  2. 3.81 km SSE of Cepitá, Colombia · 16669 days ago · 174 km deep · 2 km away
  3. 4.613 km N of Jordán, Colombia · 16670 days ago · 166 km deep · 19 km away
  4. 4.512 km NNW of Cepitá, Colombia · 16677 days ago · 166 km deep · 15 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0001cae. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:46 AM UTC.