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It has been a rough day around the world.
1. Venezuela: A Rare, Back-to-Back "Doublet" (M7.2 & M7.5)
The biggest and most destructive event happened on the coast of Venezuela near Morón. Yes that is a real place. This wasn't just a single quake and an aftershock, it was a seismic doublet, which means two entirely separate major earthquakes ruptured almost simultaneously.
The Shaking: A massive M7.2 struck, and just 39 seconds later, an even bigger M7.5 hit right next to it. Because they happened at a very shallow depth (around 10 km), the ground shaking was incredibly intense.
Severe damage is being reported in Caracas, with collapsed structures, knocked-out power grids, and down cell networks. Because doublets mess with stress loads on nearby faults, locals are being warned to stay outside in anticipation of a very active aftershock sequence.
Watch the lady and child that run to the left side of the screen.
2. Japan: Deep M6.9 Off Iwate
Less than 30 minutes after the Venezuelan quakes, the western side of the Ring of Fire let loose.
The Shaking: A strong M6.9 hit off the coast of northern Japan. However, because this one was much deeper down in the earth (51 km), the planet's crust absorbed a lot of the energy before it reached the surface.
It gave Tokyo a decent rattle during their morning commute and briefly paused the bullet trains for automated safety checks. Luckily, because of the depth and displacement type, there is no tsunami threat and no major damage reported.
3. Northern California: M5.6 Coastal Shaker
Earlier in the day, the West Coast got a wake-up call of its own up near Redwood Valley (about 2.5 hours north of San Francisco).
The Shaking: A respectable M5.6 hit just after 8:00 AM local time.
It didn't bring down any buildings, but it was strong enough to throw groceries off shelves and trigger the ShakeAlert system for over a million residents. Local data indicates this is actually the sharpest quake this specific coastal area has felt since 1940.
1. Venezuela: A Rare, Back-to-Back "Doublet" (M7.2 & M7.5)
The biggest and most destructive event happened on the coast of Venezuela near Morón. Yes that is a real place. This wasn't just a single quake and an aftershock, it was a seismic doublet, which means two entirely separate major earthquakes ruptured almost simultaneously.
The Shaking: A massive M7.2 struck, and just 39 seconds later, an even bigger M7.5 hit right next to it. Because they happened at a very shallow depth (around 10 km), the ground shaking was incredibly intense.
Severe damage is being reported in Caracas, with collapsed structures, knocked-out power grids, and down cell networks. Because doublets mess with stress loads on nearby faults, locals are being warned to stay outside in anticipation of a very active aftershock sequence.
Watch the lady and child that run to the left side of the screen.
2. Japan: Deep M6.9 Off Iwate
Less than 30 minutes after the Venezuelan quakes, the western side of the Ring of Fire let loose.
The Shaking: A strong M6.9 hit off the coast of northern Japan. However, because this one was much deeper down in the earth (51 km), the planet's crust absorbed a lot of the energy before it reached the surface.
It gave Tokyo a decent rattle during their morning commute and briefly paused the bullet trains for automated safety checks. Luckily, because of the depth and displacement type, there is no tsunami threat and no major damage reported.
3. Northern California: M5.6 Coastal Shaker
Earlier in the day, the West Coast got a wake-up call of its own up near Redwood Valley (about 2.5 hours north of San Francisco).
The Shaking: A respectable M5.6 hit just after 8:00 AM local time.
It didn't bring down any buildings, but it was strong enough to throw groceries off shelves and trigger the ShakeAlert system for over a million residents. Local data indicates this is actually the sharpest quake this specific coastal area has felt since 1940.