August 2018 Venezuela earthquake

On August 21, 2018 a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck just off the northern coast of Venezuela, near Cariaco, Sucre.[1] The earthquake is thought to be the largest in the country since the 1900 San Narciso earthquake.[2] It prompted evacuations in Caracas, and caused shaking in Colombia, Guyana, Brazil,[3][4] Grenada, Dominica, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago, the last of which also suffered damage and brief phone and power outages from about 100 miles away.[5][6][7][8][9] A tsunami was not expected, though the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned of wave potential, and an alert had been broadcast for tsunami waves along coastlines.[5][8] In terms of damage, concrete fell from the unfinished Tower of David skyscraper, blocking the sidewalk and closing traffic.[10]

August 21st earthquake
Shakemap for the August 21st 2018 Venezuela earthquake.
August 2018 Venezuela earthquake is located in Venezuela
August 2018 Venezuela earthquake
UTC time2018-08-21 21:31:42
ISC event612616014
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateAugust 21, 2018 (2018-08-21)
Local time5:31:42 PM VET
Magnitude7.3 Mw
Depth146.8 km (91 mi)
Epicenter10.773°N 62.902°W / 10.773; -62.902
TypeOblique-reverse
Total damageUSD $7+ million
Max. intensityVII (Very strong)
TsunamiNo
LandslidesYes
Aftershocks~24
Casualties5 dead (indirect), 122 injured

According to the governor of Sucre State, there were initially no reports of fatalities in the area.[11] Though several sources from the Venezuelan government reported no injuries, there were reports of injuries in a shopping centre in Cumaná, close to the epicentre, when an escalator collapsed.[12] Later, five people were confirmed dead, after heart attacks during the quake from shock.[13] Interior Minister Néstor Reverol maintained that there were no fatalities.[14]

The earthquakes follow a series of related earthquakes two weeks earlier in neighbouring Colombia, including brief shakes of 6.1 and 5.8 magnitude on August 7.[15]

Earthquake
Epicentre of the August 21st earthquake

The epicentre is reported to be just east of Carúpano, and at a depth of 123 km (76 mi). The Venezuelan capital, Caracas, is around 622 km (386 mi) from this site, and still shook,[16] as did Bogotá, the Colombian capital nearly 2,000 km (1,200 mi) away.[5] The United States Geological Survey reported the quake as 7.3 (after an initial report of 6.8[17]), though the Colombian Geological Service reported it as 7.0. The Venezuelan Interior Minister Néstor Reverol reported that the earthquake was 6.3.[16] The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center instead reported the quake as 7.4.[18]

Venezuela's coast at Cariaco lies on the El Pilar fault of the Caribbean and South American plates, with the latter subducting under the former when the fault turns perpendicular to the coastline. Though Caracas is a long distance from the epicentre, because it is still on the fault line at the San Sebastian fault the tremor was still quite powerful.[19] A seismologist from the University of Southampton said that the two plates usually experience "horizontal differential motion" (the Caribbean plate moves eastward, the South American plate moves westward, and they strike and catch against each other) but that the earthquake being so deep indicated that it was not "directly related to transform faulting [or] strike-slip faulting", suggesting that the quake may have been caused by the "edge of the South American plate that is subducting under the Lesser Antilles arc" being involved.[20]

CNN reported that someone based in Güiria, 43 miles from the epicentre, felt three aftershocks.[21] A seismograph at Virginia Tech, a university in the northern United States, registered the earthquake.[22] The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre recorded aftershocks throughout the region from shortly after the main quake.[9]

Witnesses and news sources report that during the quake, people were reluctant to leave some buildings, in particular banks because they were "desperate to withdraw the limited notes they're authorised to claim in the cash-strapped country" so "didn't want to leave".[23]

Irregularity

Multiple experts remarked on how the seismological activity that caused the earthquake was unusual.[20][24] Juan Cigala, from the Seismology Department of the Iquique Emergency Center, Mexico, explained that the earthquake was "an exceptional event" and also "expressed surprise" at the subsequent earthquake as well as aftershocks of over 4.0 magnitude, something that "hasn't happened before". He summarised that "the Earth is behaving in a different way".[24]

Cigala also mentioned that the direction of the forces from the plates contacting was unusual, explaining why the earthquake was felt for thousands of miles in multiple directions. He added that this, as well as the continual plate movement since the earthquake, means there will "continue to be telluric events in the area", and a likelihood of more quakes.[24]

Damage
The Centro Financiero Confinanzas, "Tower of David", which was damaged

Bogotá International Airport was briefly closed to check for runway damage.[6]

The Tower of David, the second tallest building in Venezuela and 11th tallest in South America, is reported to have sustained structural damage and is now leaning. However, according to Randy Rodríguez, national director of Civil Protection, the Caracas fire service inspected the tower and deemed it has no threat of falling. The telephone and internet service in Caracas was also interrupted.[25][26][24]

A video surfaced of a landslide in which part of a Caribbean island mountain collapsed into the sea.[27]

Temporary power outages were reported in Arima, Valsayn, and other areas in the east of the island of Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago.[28]

Several sources questioned if the shaking could have disturbed Venezuela's extensive oil reserves, potentially damaging the industry in the country.[29][30][31]

Aftermath

The earthquake was, in its immediate aftermath, judged as negative for the Venezuelan government. Diosdado Cabello, president of the Constituent National Assembly in the country, was giving a national compulsory broadcast at the moment of the earthquake, with his "confused" and "concerned" response being to just stop talking and "look from side to side", as reported by The Guardian, Time, and Associated Press shortly after the event.[16][12][32] The Venezuelan government was also criticised as being unprepared for natural disasters, with "ambulances grounded" in the nation.[6]

Edwin Rojas, a PSUV government deputy and Governor of the state in which the earthquake hit, called the earthquake reports and tsunami warning "psychological terrorism".[30]

Several people looked deeper into the occurrence of the earthquakes, which was "interpreted as a political metaphor for [Venezuela's] teetering regime".[33] A BBC Caribbean correspondent shared a photo of the Tower of David on Twitter, commenting that the abandoned bank building was "verging on collapse", describing it as an apt "economic metaphor" for Venezuela.[34] Similarly, The Wall Street Journal's Latin America editor joked that the "real earthquake" matched "Venezuela's economic earthquake".[35]

The public of Venezuela also reacted in such fashion, with reports that there were many new "'what else could go wrong' memes", adding natural disasters to the list of growing crises of the nation, or comparing the earthquake to the new currency of the nation released that day, one tweet remarking on the devaluation by saying "Colombia: earthquake with a 7.7 magnitude according to the Richter magnitude scale. Venezuela: earthquake of 0.00077 Richter Soberanos" and another saying "Inflation in Venezuela is so bad that the 7.3 magnitude earthquake has turned into 78093.3. The strongest in history". There were also comments despairing that in the social media videos of supermarkets shaking, it didn't look as dramatic as the Trinidadian counterparts where products were falling off shelves — because in Venezuela there weren't any products on the shelves to begin with.[36]

The BBC Venezuela correspondent said that the earthquake was actually welcome: that people "were amused by an event, which had distracted them from the tough realities of everyday life".[37]

The Governor of the US State of Florida, Rick Scott, said a few hours after the quake that he had spoken with Carlos Trujillo about the earthquake and that "[Venezuelan President] Maduro should allow aid into Venezuela so anyone who may be affected can get the proper help".[38]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office gave travel warnings for Trinidad and Tobago, with the possibility of later adding them for Colombia, Venezuela, and Guyana. Though buildings cracked and shifted in Venezuela, there was more falling debris on the nearby island of Trinidad, which caused more concern.[9] There was also concern for falling glass in both nations.[39]

Second earthquake
August 22 earthquake
Shakemap for the August 22, 2018 Venezuela earthquake.
August 2018 Venezuela earthquake is located in Venezuela
August 2018 Venezuela earthquake
UTC time2018-08-22 13:27:47
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateAugust 22, 2018 (2018-08-22)
Local time9:27:47 AM VET
Magnitude5.8 Mw
Depth108.0 km (67 mi)
Epicenter10.659°N 62.929°W / 10.659; -62.929
Max. intensityV (Moderate)

A second earthquake occurred in the morning of the following day, slightly more central to Venezuela at 9 km West from Yaguaraparo, measuring 5.7 according to local reports but confirmed as 5.8 by the US Geological Survey. This quake was inland in Venezuela.[40] A sitting of the Venezuelan National Assembly in Caracas was evacuated when the hall began shaking at 9:27am. The sitting was of the Internal Affairs Commission, discussing the case of detained representative Juan Requesens.[14] There had been multiple smaller aftershocks after the first earthquake, but this shock was registered as a distinct event, the Colombian Geological Service initially recording it as 5.9 magnitude.[41][42] This quake was also felt across Venezuela and Trinidad.[43]

No tsunami warning was given, because of the inland origin.[44] The Venezuelan geological authority FUNVISIS reported that the earthquake was at a depth of 22.9 km,[45] though the US Geological Survey said it was 97.5 km deep.

Images were shared that showed the structural damage of Tower of David having been worsened by the second earthquake.[45] The Venezuelan ambassador in St. Lucia assured this country that after the two earthquakes, Venezuela had activated emergency protocols.[46]

See also

References
  1. "M 7.3 - 40 km ENE of Carúpano, Venezuela". earthquake.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  2. The Associated Press (22 August 2018). "Venezuela struck by magnitude 7.3 earthquake". Caracas, Venezuela: USA Today. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  3. "Terremoto de magnitude 7 na Venezuela é sentido em Roraima" (in Brazilian Portuguese).
  4. "Amapaenses relatam tremor de terra em Macapá; prédios são evacuados". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  5. "Venezuela earthquake: Tsunami alert as massive 7.3 magnitude quake rocks north coast". Evening Standard. 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  6. "Strong Quake Rocks Venezuela But Little Damage Reported". Bloomberg.com. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  7. "Updated: Strong quake rocks Venezuela, Caribbean islands (see 'earthquake tips')". St. Lucia News Online. 2018-08-21. Archived from the original on 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  8. "Venezuela earthquake: 7.3 quake strikes northern coast". The Express. 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  9. "Trinidad braced for another major earthquake as aftershocks Already recorded". The Express. 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  10. "Strong earthquake rocks Venezuela, felt as far away as Colombia's capital". CTVNews. 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  11. Reuters Editorial. "No reports of deaths, major damage in Venezuela quake-hit Sucre..." U.S. Retrieved 2018-08-22. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  12. "Powerful 7.3-Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Venezuela". Time. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  13. "Cinco personas muertas dejó el temblor en Venezuela". contextodiario.com (in European Spanish). 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  14. "Desalojan sede administrativa de la AN tras temblor". Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). 22 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  15. "Colombia shaken by 6.1 magnitude earthquake, epicenter in Santander". The City Paper Bogotá. 2018-08-07. Archived from the original on 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  16. Phillips, Tom (2018-08-21). "Venezuela hit by 7.3-magnitude earthquake". The Guardian. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  17. "6.8 Earthquake rocks Caribbean". LoopTT. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  18. "Major 7.3-magnitude earthquake rocks Venezuela". NBC News. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  19. "Venezuela earthquake: South America plate clash at fault line triggers Historic Megaquake". The Express. 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  20. "Venezuela earthquake Live updates: Caracas hit by Megaquake - tremors felt in Trinidad". The Express. 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  21. "7.3-magnitude quake reported along Venezuelan coast". CNN. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  22. "Venezuela earthquake registered on Virginia Tech seismograph". WDBJ7. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  23. "Panic but no injuries as Venezuela hit by 7.3 magnitude earthquake". News 24. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  24. "Sismo de Yaguaraparo puede considerarse excepcional" [Yaguaraparo quake can be considered exceptional]. El Nacional (in Spanish). 23 August 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  25. Herrero, Ana Vanessa (21 August 2018). "Strong Quake Strikes in Northeastern Venezuela". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  26. "Terremoto en Venezuela inclinó el famoso rascacielos la Torre de David" [Earthquake in Venezuela slopes the famous skyscraper Tower of David]. El Comercio (in Spanish). 22 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  27. "Ricardo D. Allen on Twitter". Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  28. "Tremortised". 22 August 2018.
  29. "Major earthquake hits Venezuela's coast but no immediate casualties reported". CNBC. 22 August 2018.
  30. "Powerful Quake Hits Venezuela Coast, Damage Limited". Voice of America. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  31. "A tsunami alert has been issued following the earthquake in Venezuela". Forex. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  32. "Strong quake rocks Venezuela but little damage reported". AP. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  33. "Nicolás Maduro's plan for Venezuela adds bewilderment to despair". The Guardian. 26 August 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  34. "Will Grant on Twitter". Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  35. "David Luhnow on Twitter". Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  36. "As earthquake rattles Venezuela, Twitter users ask 'what else can go wrong' with memes". Euro News. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  37. "My first week as a BBC Venezuela correspondent". BBC News. 24 August 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  38. "Rick Scott on Twitter". Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  39. "Venezuela earthquake: Shocking footage posted on social media shows terrifying moment 7.3 magnitude tremors rocked north coast and Caribbean islands". Evening Standard. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  40. "USGS event us1000gfc8". Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  41. "Funvisis reporta nuevo temblor de magnitud 5,7 este 22 Ago". Efecto Cocuyo (in Spanish). 22 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  42. "USGS Report Quakes In Two Other Caribbean Islands". News Americas Now. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  43. "Venezuela hit by SECOND major earthquake: 5.7-mag quake sparks parliament EVACUATION". 22 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  44. "EARTHQUAKE IN TRINIDAD: 5.9 AFTERSHOCK HITS TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AFTER MASSIVE VENEZUELA QUAKE". News Week. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  45. "Nuevo sismo de 5.7 grados genera alarma en Venezuela". 22 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  46. "Venezuela on alert after quake". St. Lucia Times. Archived from the original on 2018-08-23. Retrieved 2018-08-22.

The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and/or authoritative data for this event.

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