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 by the size of the country, earthquakes occur rather rarely.Since 1950, more than 500 people have been killed by the direct consequences of earthquakes. There were 5 earthquakes that also caused a subsequent tsunami, which claimed further lives, and cause additional damage.
Other natural hazards in Venezuela:
› Tsunamis
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Back to overview: Venezuela
Most recent events
This list includes the strongest earthquakes recorded in or around Venezuela by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in the past 14 days. Whether an event is listed here depends largely on its magnitude, but also on its distance from inhabited areas. All data refer to the local time. This page is updated daily at 10:00 UTC.
- May 24, 8:35 pmMagnitude 4.6: offshore Sucre at a depth of 107.62 km.
- May 14, 12:43 pmMagnitude 4.6: 14 km north of Jordán, Colombia at a depth of 150.09 km.
Earthquakes in Venezuela since 1950
The strongest earthquake in Venezuela happened on 08/21/2018 in the Sucre; Trinidad region with a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale. The shifting of tectonic plates in a depth of 146 km resulted in 5 deaths. The earthquake also triggered a tsunami, leading to further victims and destruction. | Date | Region | Depth | Magnitude | Deaths | Total damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08/21/2018 | Sucre; Trinidad | 146 km | 7.3 | 5 | |
| 04/03/2018 | Merida | 10 km | 4.9 | 0 | |
| 11/22/2015 | Merida | 5 km | 5.1 | 1 | |
| 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. Data have been summarized and translated.
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