Venezuela looked again at its seismic history after the strong earthquake that shook Caracas and other regions of the country. Although it does not usually appear among the Latin American countries with the most frequent earthquakes, northern Venezuela is crossed by active faults capable of producing significant movements.

Before the most recent earthquake, the last large earthquake recorded in Venezuela had occurred on August 21, 2018, near the northeast coast of the country, in the Yaguaraparo/Carúpano area, Sucre state.

That earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3, according to the United States Geological Survey. It was felt in Caracas, in several Venezuelan regions and also in neighboring countries in the Caribbean and South America.

Despite its magnitude, the 2018 earthquake did not leave a balance of destruction comparable to that of other historical earthquakes. In the first official reports, no fatalities or major structural damage were reported, although later media reported some indirect deaths linked to the impact of the earthquake.

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The most destructive recent earthquake

The most serious precedent in recent decades was the Cariaco earthquake, which occurred on July 9, 1997, also in the state of Sucre.

That earthquake had a magnitude close to 6.9 and occurred on the El Pilar fault, one of the most important tectonic structures in eastern Venezuela. The earthquake left between 80 and 81 dead, more than 500 injured and thousands of people displaced.

Cariaco was marked as one of the most destructive earthquakes in the recent history of Venezuela. The collapse of buildings, schools and homes exposed the vulnerability of some constructions to high intensity seismic movements.

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Why Venezuela can have strong earthquakes

Venezuelan seismic activity is explained by the interaction between the Caribbean plate and the South American plate. This tectonic limit crosses the north of the country and generates fault systems such as Boconó, San Sebastián and El Pilar.

Therefore, although destructive earthquakes are not as frequent as in other countries in the region, Venezuela does have seismic risk. The threat is especially important in densely populated areas such as Caracas, the central coast and the east of the country.

Recent history shows two key precedents: the 2018 earthquake, strong but with limited damage, and the 1997 Cariaco earthquake, much more destructive and with dozens of deaths.