 Shakemap for the August 21st 2018 Venezuela earthquake. | |
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| UTC time | 2018-08-21 21:31:42 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 612616014 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | August 21, 2018 |
| Local time | 5:31:42 PM VET |
| Magnitude | 7.3 Mw |
| Depth | 146.8 km (91 mi) |
| Epicenter | 10°46′23″N 62°54′07″W / 10.773°N 62.902°W |
| Type | Oblique-reverse |
| Total damage | USD $7+ million[citation needed] |
| Max. intensity | MMI VII (Very strong) |
| Tsunami | No |
| Landslides | Yes |
| Aftershocks | ~24 |
| Casualties | 5 dead (indirect), 122 injured[citation needed] |
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]
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]
- ^ "M 7.3 – 40 km ENE of Carúpano, Venezuela". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
- ^ Associated Press (22 August 2018). "Venezuela struck by magnitude 7.3 earthquake". USA Today. Caracas, Venezuela. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- ^ "Terremoto de magnitude 7 na Venezuela é sentido em Roraima" (in Brazilian Portuguese). 22 August 2018.
- ^ "Amapaenses relatam tremor de terra em Macapá; prédios são evacuados". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 21 August 2018. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
- ^ a b "Venezuela earthquake: Tsunami alert as massive 7.3 magnitude quake rocks north coast". Evening Standard. London. 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:bloomwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "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.
- ^ a b "Venezuela earthquake: 7.3 quake strikes northern coast". The Express. 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
- ^ "Trinidad braced for another major earthquake as aftershocks Already recorded". The Express. 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
- ^ "Strong earthquake rocks Venezuela, felt as far away as Colombia's capital". CTVNews. 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
- ^ 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) - ^ Cite error: The named reference
1timewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Cinco personas muertas dejó el temblor en Venezuela". contextodiario.com (in European Spanish). 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:arcwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "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.