The two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela’s northern coast, resulting in over 180 fatalities, constituted an event known as a “doublet.”
Doublet earthquakes occur when a pair of similarly sized quakes strike close together in both location and time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. On Wednesday evening, a magnitude 7.2 quake occurred first, followed by a magnitude 7.5 tremor just 39 seconds later.
This severe sequence impacted buildings across Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and surrounding areas. Reports indicated that approximately 1,500 individuals were injured, and thousands were listed as missing. Officials stated that the coastal region of La Guaira, situated north of Caracas, sustained some of the most significant damage and casualties.
### How Rare Are Doublets?
Christine Goulet, director of the USGS earthquake science center in California, informed The Associated Press that while doublets are not as frequent as standard earthquakes featuring a main shock followed by much smaller aftershocks, they can happen globally.
Doublets suggest a complex fault structure, such as the one present in Venezuela. This feature, known as the Bocono fault, extends along the Venezuelan Andes for roughly 300 miles (500 kilometers). A prior doublet—measuring magnitudes of 6.2 and 6.3—struck an area west of Caracas in September 2025, causing at least one death and injuring over 100 people. Most damage from that event was reported in the states of Zulia and Lara.
### What Caused Wednesday’s Double Earthquake?
Most earthquakes happen along plate boundaries where tectonic plates converge.
The two quakes this week were unleashed by a rupture occurring at the meeting point of the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates.
This doublet took place where the Caribbean plate, located north of Venezuela, moves eastward relative to the South American plate at an average rate of 0.79 inches (2 centimeters) annually.
Goulet noted, “It’s a large displacement. It’s on the order of the San Andreas fault.”
The movement involved shallow strike-slip faulting, which is defined as two rock blocks sliding past each other horizontally.
Goulet added that this type of movement is not inherently more dangerous.
“A more vertical motion can be more damaging,” she stated, further explaining that the length of the rupture and other factors determine the extent of the damage.
David Naar, associate dean at the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science, mentioned that the boundary between the Caribbean and South American plates is less active than some others.
### How Common Are Earthquakes in Venezuela?
According to the USGS, only seven earthquakes measuring magnitude 6 or higher have occurred near the recent events within the last century.
These include the 2025 doublet that struck west-northwest of the latest quakes.
Individual earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater were recorded in 1975, 1989, and 2009. The most destructive event occurred in July 1967; it was a 6.6 magnitude quake that killed hundreds of people.
José Vitriago, a resident of Caracas, recalled the 1967 earthquake when he was two years old.
“Our house broke,” he stated in an interview with state-owned TV station Venezolana de Televisión.
Vitriago described Wednesday's doublet as “horrible, horrible.”
Overall, USGS data indicates that five earthquakes of magnitude 7 or higher have happened in northern Venezuela or near the coast since 1900.
The most catastrophic earthquake on record occurred in March 1812 along the Bocono fault system, which is estimated to have killed 30,000 people.
### Will More Earthquakes Hit Venezuela?
Scientists are unable to predict earthquakes, but aftershocks commonly follow major seismic events. The USGS projects a 99% probability of at least one magnitude 4 aftershock striking Venezuela within the next week, alongside a 24% chance of a magnitude 6 event.
Unlike other nations, Venezuela lacks an early earthquake warning system that uses sensors to detect initial waves of an earthquake.
Goulet commented on this lack of preparedness: “It’s very distressing that there was basically no time to evacuate. That’s extremely unfortunate.”