Venezuela Earthquake Live Updates: Two major earthquakes hit Venezuela, 'high casualties' likely
Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela within a minute of each other, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The first quake measured 7.1 in magnitude and struck at a depth of 22 kilometres, with its epicentre located west of Morón on the country's Caribbean coast, about 168 kilometres w
By The Times of India
Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela within a minute of each other, according to the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS).
The first quake measured 7.1 in magnitude and struck at a depth of 22 kilometres, with its epicentre located west of Morón on the country's Caribbean coast, about 168 kilometres west of Caracas.
Just a minute later, a stronger 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit the same region.
The second quake originated at a depth of 10 kilometres and was centred about 16 kilometres southwest of Morón.
The back-to-back tremors rank among the strongest earthquakes to hit Venezuela in more than a century.
While the country sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates makes earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America, AP reported.
Along the Pacific coast — in Mexico and Chile, for example — earthquakes are frequent; the two countries sit along the seismically active tectonic belt known as the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” responsible for 90% of earthquakes, according to the USGS.