{"id":31341,"date":"2017-12-20T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-20T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.besabine.com\/feel-the-earth-move-at-la-mesa-de-los-santos-about-earthquakes-in-colombia-and-a-visit-to-la-mesa\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T11:21:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T16:21:56","slug":"feel-the-earth-move-at-la-mesa-de-los-santos-about-earthquakes-in-colombia-and-a-visit-to-la-mesa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.besabine.com\/en\/feel-the-earth-move-at-la-mesa-de-los-santos-about-earthquakes-in-colombia-and-a-visit-to-la-mesa\/","title":{"rendered":"La Mesa de Los Santos | Visit the site of most earthquakes in Colombia"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am sitting at the table at the computer when suddenly the house in Bogot\u00e1 begins to move.<\/strong> The curtains, the television and the water in my glass. At first I still think that a heavy truck is passing by, but when I run to the window and hear people screaming, I realize: an earthquake<\/strong>. I grab my phone, keys and shoes and run down one floor on my socks, out of the building. On March 10, 2015, 161 kilometers below the earth’s surface at La Mesa de Los Santos, hundreds of kilometers north of Bogot\u00e1, the earth’s crust was shaking wildly.<\/strong> A force of 6.4 on the Richter scale to be exact. By now my body, too, was trembling as much as the earth when I realized what had happened. The first earthquake I ever experienced was a reality.<\/strong> And it didn’t stop there, unfortunately. What about earthquakes in Colombia and why is La Mesa de Los Santos worth a visit?<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Earthquakes in Colombia<\/h2>\n
\n

Colombia is in a high-risk area in terms of earthquakes.<\/strong> The country lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire<\/strong>, an area known for its many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions caused by various subduction zones of tectonic plates. Colombia lies on two major subduction zones<\/strong>, namely on the Nazca Plate with the South American Plate and on the South American Plate with the Caribbean Plate. The zones with an increased risk of earthquakes are Nari\u00f1o, Choc\u00f3, Caldas (Manizales<\/strong><\/a>) and Santander (Barichara<\/strong><\/a>, San Gil<\/strong><\/a>). <\/p>\n

Several earthquakes occur every day in Colombia<\/strong>, usually with a magnitude of around 1 or 2 on the Richter scale. More severe quakes occur regularly, and after many years of observation, a picture of frequency can be given. <\/p>\n

Each year there are about seven earthquakes with a magnitude between 5.0 and 5.9 on the Richter<\/strong> scale and about one earthquake with a magnitude between 6.0 and 6.9. Every five years there is an earthquake with a magnitude between 7.0 and 7.9 on the Richter scale and every 30 years an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 or higher. <\/p>\n\n\t\t