Venezuela’s deadly earthquakes happened on a fault similar to the San Andreas, and the risks aren’t over yet – a geophysicist explains

Both faults are along plate boundaries that move in similar ways and have ruptured in enormously destructive earthquakes in the past.

By: Sylvain Barbot, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 26, 2026

Words: 1,204

Last Updated: 3 weeks ago

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By Sylvain Barbot, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Venezuela and its capital, Caracas, were rocked by two massive earthquake pulses on June 24, 2026, just seconds apart. The shaking from the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 events caused buildings to collapse in cities across the northern part of the country, killing more than 2,200 people and trapping many more, government officials reported.

University of Southern California geophysicist Sylvain Barbot explained what’s …

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