In the last 24 hours, the Earth has moved dramatically. Seven major earthquakes have rocked the world, including two devastating tremors in Venezuela, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake off the coast of Japan and a magnitude 5.6 in Northern California.
The numbers are astonishing, with 1,351 earthquakes of all magnitudes around the world in 24 hours. Among these, two were above magnitude 7, one between magnitude 6 and 7, four between magnitude 5 and 6 and 43 between magnitude 4 and 5.
The most devastating hit Venezuela, where one of magnitude 7.2 and another of magnitude 7.5 killed at least 164 people. It marks the country’s most powerful earthquake since 1900.
Additionally, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan, prompting an emergency response from the government.
In the United States, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck northern California near Willits, the strongest recorded in the region since 1940.
Why the peak?
The increasing seismic activity is due to plate tectonics. The Earth’s outer layer is divided into sections called tectonic plates that move constantly, although slowly. When stress builds up along plate boundaries and is suddenly released, earthquakes occur.
Venezuela lies along the boundary between the Caribbean and South American plates. Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone regions in the world, responsible for one in five earthquakes of magnitude 6 or larger in the world.
The USGS stated that the double earthquake in Venezuela is “a complex rupture interaction process” where one earthquake triggers another.
While seven major earthquakes in 24 hours is notable, experts emphasize that it is not necessarily unusual. The Earth’s crust is constantly moving and clusters of seismic activity occur periodically.
Scientists continually monitor aftershocks and analyze whether these events are connected or not.
