Venezuela suffers severe impact: understand the double earthquake and its contribution to destruction
Two highly intense earthquakes struck the northern region of Venezuela on Wednesday night (24), causing the collapse of buildings and deaths both in the capital, Caracas, and in coastal municipalities. The first tremor registered magnitude 7.2, followed by another measuring 7.5 just 39 seconds later.
This sequence of events was defined by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as a “double earthquake”, an unusual seismological occurrence. Such classification helps to clarify why damage and destruction often exceed those caused by a single earthquake of similar magnitude.
Below, we detail the nature of this phenomenon, the reasons for its occurrence and the reasons why it is, as a rule, more devastating.
Understanding the double earthquake phenomenon
The concept of double earthquake was coined by seismologists Thorne Lay and Hiroo Kanamori in research published in 1980. It describes a scenario where two seismic shocks of comparable strength occur within a short interval, from a few seconds to days, in geographically close areas, usually at a maximum distance of one hundred kilometers.
The main distinction of a double earthquake compared to a conventional seismic sequence, which involves a main tremor followed by aftershocks of reduced intensity, lies in the amount of energy released. In these rare cases, both seismic events release comparable volumes of energy, being considered primary earthquakes, without a significantly smaller aftershock. This particularity suggests that the seismic waves from each incident originated from distinct foci, even if geographically close.
According to the analysis of seismic waves conducted by the USGS, the two tremors in Venezuela, despite their epicenters being a few kilometers apart, resulted from distinct geological faults, presenting different rupture patterns. This finding is in line with preexisting active fault maps for that area.
“A double earthquake, explained seismologist Bruno Collaço, from the Brazilian Seismographic Network (RSBR) and the USP Seismology Center, means that two tremors are generated by separate geological faults, each with its own rupture point in the Earth’s crust. Even though one fault can influence the slip of the other, they do not share the same structure. Thus, each event has its own epicenter, even if they are only separated by about 15 kilometers, as was the case with the tremors in Venezuela.”
Seismology experts identify two likely mechanisms that can trigger this type of event.
The first mechanism involves stress transfer: the movement generated by the initial shock is capable of intensifying pressure on an adjacent fault, precipitating its rupture.
The second explanation is the direct impact of seismic waves from the first earthquake, which can destabilize nearby faults that are already in a critical state of rupture. In Venezuela, it is likely that the initial shock caused the second through one of these routes, although determining the exact cause is still under investigation.
The geological reason for the high incidence of earthquakes in Venezuela
The northern coastal region of Venezuela is located on the border between the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates, a geological boundary that extends across the entire Venezuelan continental territory. A USGS tectonic report, published on its official page about the earthquake, points out that, in this area, the Caribbean Plate moves eastward at an average speed of 20 millimeters per year in relation to the South American Plate, giving rise to extensive systems of lateral slip faults, such as those of Boconó, San Sebastián and El Pilar.
The largest magnitude tremor, 7.5, was the consequence of a superficial lateral slip fault located in this same plate boundary system. This mechanism was validated by the USGS, although initial assessments still debate whether the rupture occurred precisely along the Boconó fault path or in a parallel structure.
“The area presents a tectonic scenario of great complexity, where multiple plates interact, including the Caribbean, the South American, the Nazca, to the south, and the Cocos, to the north”, said Collaço. “In the epicenter zone, there is a fault region well documented by seismologists, with several active structures; two of them moved at an almost simultaneous interval.”
Leia Também
Messi reaches 19 goals in FIFA World Cups with great free kick for Argentina in clash with Jordan
Cristiano Ronaldo shines beyond the pitch at the 2026 World Cup with business empire and family luxury
At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo reaffirms his historic legacy and prepares to shine in the 2026 World Cup
This continuous displacement of the plates regularly causes shallow earthquakes, some of them of high destructive power. The location has already witnessed other events of high magnitude:
- The tremor that affected Caracas in 1900, locally called the “San Narciso earthquake”, with a magnitude estimated at around 7.6;
- The 6.5-degree earthquake that impacted the Venezuelan capital in 1967;
- And, more recently, in 2018, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake whose epicenter was located on the coast of the state of Sucre, felt in a large part of Venezuelan territory and in nearby countries.
The region already showed warning signs. In September 2025, the same area was the scene of another double earthquake, with magnitudes of 6.2 and 6.3, further to the west, resulting in at least one fatality and more than 110 injuries in the states of Zulia and Lara.
The reason double earthquakes amplify destruction
The magnitude scale used by seismologists has a logarithmic, non-linear nature. According to official clarification from the USGS, an increase of just 0.1 point on this scale represents an increase of approximately 40% in the total energy released by a seismic shock.
When applying this calculation to the two Venezuelan tremors, 7.2 and 7.5, it is observed that the second released about three times more energy than the first. This difference helps to understand why the shaking seemed so extensive: the superposition of the second, stronger tremor on the first prolongs the period of shaking, increasing the damage to structures already compromised by the initial impact.
The destruction in Venezuela has been exacerbated by additional factors. Both earthquakes had their origins at relatively shallow depths — the first at 21.9 kilometers and the second at 10 kilometers. This characteristic means that the energy released reaches urbanized areas on the surface with less dissipation.
Caracas, moreover, lies on a sedimentary basin, a type of soil that, according to local geological assessments, intensifies seismic waves. The mountainous geography of the area favors the occurrence of landslides. Additionally, the same sediment that amplifies the seismic waves beneath the capital increases the risk of liquefaction, a process in which water-soaked soil loses its firmness and assumes a liquid behavior during the earthquake, causing buildings to sink or tilt.
The fragility of buildings also contributes significantly, representing a critical challenge for urban planning in several developing regions subject to earthquakes. The USGS indicates that a considerable portion of properties in the affected area were built with masonry without structural reinforcement or with adobe, materials that are particularly vulnerable to collapse during high-intensity earthquakes.
Global examples of other earthquakes with dual characteristics
Despite being uncommon events, records of similar occurrences have already been documented in other locations around the world. In February 2023, according to USGS data, a double earthquake of magnitudes 7.8 and 7.5 impacted Turkey and Syria. Their epicenters were approximately 90 kilometers apart, with an interval of nine hours between tremors, a period considerably longer than that recorded in Venezuela. The event generated a disaster that affected millions and killed more than 50,000 people in both countries.
There are also occurrences in areas of deep subduction, such as the 7.6 magnitude double earthquake that hit the border between Peru and Brazil in 2015. In this case, the epicenters were at a distance of around 50 kilometers, and the interval between tremors was five minutes.
In 1988, Australia experienced an even more unique variation of this phenomenon. According to Geoscience Australia, the country’s geological service, and research published on the event, a “triplet” — three earthquakes with magnitudes between 6.3 and 6.7, separated by about half an hour — hit the Tennant Creek area.
Occurrences like the one in Venezuela highlight, from the perspective of seismologists, the relevance of agile warning systems, which can promptly identify whether an initial tremor is part of a broader seismic sequence. This is because, in a double earthquake, there is no certainty that the first shock will be the most powerful.
“It is common for seismic aftershocks to persist for days or even weeks after an event of this nature”, highlighted Collaço, “maintaining monitoring of activity in the region in a state of continuous surveillance, even after the end of the main shock.”
