earthquake

Venezuela has been hit by a pair of earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The quakes struck less than a minute apart and have severely affected the city of Caracas and surrounding areas. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez reported that the death toll has risen from 32 to 164 and the number of injured from 700 to 971. She also declared the state of La Guaira, north of Caracas, a “disaster area” and announced the mobilization of the country’s entire public and private healthcare network.

Un terremoto de magnitud estimada 8,8 frente a la costa oriental de Rusia ha provocado alertas de tsunami en gran parte del Pacífico. La ciudad rusa de Petropávlovsk-Kamchatski, con una población de 180.000 habitantes, se encuentra cerca del epicentro del terremoto. 

Between 2021 and 2024, the Android Earthquake Alerts system detected an average of 312 earthquakes per month and sent alerts in 98 countries associated with 60 events of magnitude greater than 4.5, according to a study published in the journal Science. The study also includes comments from users who received the alerts: 85% said they felt tremors, 36% received the alert before noticing them, 28% during the event and 23% after they occurred. In addition, 84% said they would trust the system more next time, according to the research team from Google and the universities of California - Berkeley and Harvard (USA).

A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake with an epicentre near the city of Mandalay in Myanmar (formerly Burma) has been felt in cities as far away as Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, more than 1,300 kilometres away. The earthquake was shallow - 10 kilometres - and has been followed by several aftershocks, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

According to research published in the journal Nature Communications, the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that was felt in parts of Turkey and Syria in February this year emitted detectable signals eight months before it struck. Although it is currently not possible to predict the magnitude, time and location of earthquakes in the short term, these results would indicate that some large earthquakes may show a detectable preparation phase. However, the authors admit that, due to the large number of variables, recognising these signals and using them for medium-term earthquake prediction remains a challenge.

At around midnight (local time), a powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake southwest of Marrakech, one of Morocco's main cities, shook the region, leaving hundreds dead and missing amidst completely devastated buildings and constructions.

Faults can generate the most devastating earthquakes. The East Anatolian fault, where the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria occurred on 6 February, has been rupturing quite frequently - every few decades to hundreds of years. Seismic hazard maps are used to design buildings and infrastructure to withstand strong shaking during an earthquake. Reinforced concrete buildings with earthquake-resistant designs are the most appropriate, but often unaffordable for certain regions.

Early this morning, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. The authorities have reported thousands of deaths and extensive material damage. A second earthquake has occurred further north than the previous one.