Two consecutive major earthquakes hit Venezuela
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.
Rescue teams are searching through the rubble in Caracas (Venezuela) following two strong earthquakes that shook the western part of the country's capital; two earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 2.5 on the Richter scale, that occurred within just 39 seconds of each other. Credit: EFE/Rayner Peña R.
Mark Allen - terremoto Caracas
Mark Allen
Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at Durham University
The two earthquakes which struck Venezuela on 24/6/26 were unusual for being so close together in time at this scale: a Magnitude 7.2 event was followed only 39 seconds later by a Magnitude 7.5 event. But, it is likely that the first earthquake ruptured one fault segment and transferred stress on to another fault which failed in turn, causing the second earthquake.
The events seem to have taken place on the tectonic plate boundary between South America and the Caribbean. The plates are moving past each other, laterally, in this region - similar to the San Andreas Fault in California.
The epicentres appear to be ~100 miles west of Caracas; whatever the casualties, earthquakes nearer would have been more destructive.
There is a risk of further earthquakes (aftershocks) in the Caracas region: the Venezuelan capital is in an earthquake-prone area, and local faults may have been loaded by the 24/6/26 events
