Earthquakes in Venezuela
In Venezuela there are partly large earthquakes with strengths of more than 7.0, which cause damages within a radius of over 100 kilometers. Measured against the size of the country, earthquakes occur very rarely.Since 1950 more than 500 people have been killed by direct consequences of earthquakes. 5 earthquakes also caused a subsequent tsunami, which claimed further lifes and damages.
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Earthquakes in Venezuela since 1950
The strongest earthquake in Venezuela happened on 08/21/2018 in the region Sucre; Trinidad with a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale. The shifting of tectonic plates in a depth of 46 km resulted in 5 deaths. The earthquake also triggered a tsunami with further victims and destructions.| Date | Region | Tiefe | Magnitude | Deaths | Total damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08/21/2018 | Sucre; Trinidad | 46 km | 7.3 | 5 | |
| 04/03/2018 | Merida | 27 km | 4.9 | 0 | |
| 11/07/2015 | Merida | 30 km | 5.3 | 1 | |
| 01/15/2010 | Cariaco | 46 km | 5.5 | 0 | |
| 11/27/2009 | Siquisique | 53 km | 5.4 | 0 | |
| 09/12/2009 | Carabobo | 24 km | 6.3 | 0 | |
| 08/11/2008 | Cariaco-Cumana | 26 km | 5.2 | 0 | |
| 07/09/1997 | Cariaco-Cumana | 13 km | 7.0 | 81 | |
| 08/17/1991 | Barquisimeto | 34 km | 5.2 | 0 | |
| 05/04/1989 | Falcon, Carabobo, Caracas | 6 km | 5.2 | 0 | |
| 07/18/1986 | Churuguara, Falcon, Lara | 38 km | 4.9 | 1 | |
| 06/11/1986 | Venezuela | 1 km | 6.2 | 2 | |
| 04/05/1975 | Venezuela | 36 km | 6.1 | 3 | |
| 06/12/1974 | Venezuela | 47 km | 6.1 | 5 | |
| 09/20/1968 | Carupano | 6.2 | 3 | ||
| 07/29/1967 | Venezuela | 58 km | 6.5 | 300 | |
| 09/19/1966 | Venezuela | 5.0 | 0 | ||
| 08/03/1950 | El Tocuyo | 6.8 | 100 |
These statistics are based on datas from the National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K. Several data have been summarized and translated. Foto taken from National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC, public domain).