On a Wednesday evening, Venezuela was hit by an extremely rare geological event: two powerful earthquakes struck within just one minute of each other off the nation’s northern Caribbean coast. Recorded at magnitudes 7.1 and 7.5 respectively, the consecutive quakes rank among the most intense seismic events to strike the South American nation in more than 100 years.
Data published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) details the exact positioning of the two seismic events. The first tremor had its epicenter located west of the coastal community Morón, roughly 168 kilometers west of Venezuela’s capital Caracas, at a shallow depth of 13 kilometers below the Earth’s surface. Less than 60 seconds after the first shock, a second, stronger 7.5-magnitude quake hit just 16 kilometers southwest of Morón, at an even shallower depth of 10 kilometers.
The powerful shaking was felt sharply across the entire northern region of the country, including the capital Caracas, where widespread structural damage was immediately reported. Multiple buildings collapsed across the capital, forcing panicked residents to evacuate swaying, unstable structures and gather outside in the wake of the tremors. Witness accounts and on-site photos show crumbled exterior walls in multiple residential neighborhoods, with damaged household furniture visible out in the streets from partially collapsed buildings. Dense clouds of dust and debris were also reported in heavily trafficked commercial areas including popular restaurants and retail stores, leaving many residents visibly shaken by the sudden disaster.
In response to the large coastal quakes, the U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued an emergency tsunami warning for the Virgin Islands shortly after the seismic event. Authorities in the Dominican Republic quickly followed with their own public safety warning for coastal areas. A tsunami warning issued for Puerto Rico was lifted within a short timeframe after no abnormal sea level movements were detected.