Three Consecutive Earthquakes Hit Chocó and Antioquia in Colombia

In the early hours of August 21, 2026, three consecutive earthquakes were recorded in the departments of Chocó and Antioquia. The Colombian Geological Service (SGC) detailed the magnitudes and depths of each event in its recent reports. So far, there are no reports of damage or emergencies associated with the tremors.

First tremor occurs in Antioquia

The first tremor occurred at 3:13 a.m., located 8 kilometers from the municipality of Dabeiba, in the department of Antioquia. According to the SGC, the depth was less than 30 kilometers, characterizing the earthquake as shallow.

Sipí registers the subsequent tremors

Shortly after, the second tremor was confirmed with a magnitude of 2.8. The epicenter was located 26 kilometers from the municipality of Sipí, in the department of Chocó, also at a shallow depth of less than 30 kilometers. The third earthquake occurred at 3:37 a.m., registering a magnitude of 3.3, 22 kilometers from Sipí, at a depth of 74 kilometers.

SGC asks for citizen collaboration

The government agency invited the population to report if they felt the tremors through its official channels. This measure aims to collect detailed information on the intensity with which the event was felt in different regions.

How the ShakeAlert system works

To detect earthquakes, Google uses ShakeAlert, a network composed of 1,675 seismic sensors. The free app analyzes data from the sensors to pinpoint the magnitude and location of the tremor, sending a signal to Android's earthquake alert system, which notifies the user directly.

How to enable alerts on your phone

Google Support provides step-by-step instructions to enable earthquake notifications on Android devices:

1. Open your phone's settings.
2. Tap "Security & emergency" and then "Earthquake alerts".
3. If you cannot find "Security & emergency", tap "Ubicación", then "Avanzada", and subsequently select "Alertas de sismos".

With information from El Tiempo.