Rescues continue after earthquake doublet hits Venezuela

Rescue efforts are continuing in Venezuela after a double earthquake struck on Wednesday local time, marking the strongest seismic* hit the country has experienced in 125 years.

The two quakes were measured by the United States Geological Survey as magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, centred west of the nation’s capital Caracas.

At the time of writing, at least 235 people had tragically lost their lives and at least 4300 had been reported injured following the double quake, which destroyed buildings across Caracas and damaged the country’s main airport.

While considered uncommon, double quakes have the potential to be more damaging than single quakes with aftershocks. Let’s take a look at the difference between the two and examine why Australia has a relatively low risk of major earthquake compared to some other countries in the world.

WHAT IS A DOUBLE EARTHQUAKE?
While aftershocks are common in the event of powerful earthquakes, two earthquakes happening in close proximity to each other have also been recorded several times throughout history.

Also known as a doublet, sometimes two earthquakes happen within a short time frame and distance to one another.

According to University of Melbourne Earthquake Science Associate Professor Mark Quigley, doublets are causally linked but seismologically distinct.

“This means the seismic waves from each quake are separated by a gap in time, and/or originate from distinct sources,” he wrote in an article for The Conversation.

While the Venezuelan quakes were very close together in time and space, data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows they probably came from different faults and had different rupture styles*.

Doublets tend to be more catastrophic than single earthquakes. Buildings and other structures made unstable from the first quake could be further damaged or destroyed by the second one, causing even more damage while putting the lives of rescuers at risk.

HAVE THERE BEEN OTHER DOUBLE EARTHQUAKES BEFORE?
While the phenomenon is less common than single earthquakes, there have been other large earthquake doublets across the world in recent years. Assoc Prof Quigley said a double earthquake struck Turkey and Syria in 2023 measuring at magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.7. There was even a triple earthquake event that hit Tennant Creek in Australia in 1988.

There was also a doublet of magnitudes 6.2 and 6.3 that hit west of Caracas in September 2025, according to a report by the Associated Press (AP).

WHAT ARE AFTERSHOCKS?
Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes that happen after the initial quake. The tremors occur in the same area as the earthquake and happen as a result of the Earth’s crust* adjusting and shifting back into place along the disrupted fault line*.

At the time of writing, Venezuela had experienced 20 aftershocks following Wednesday’s destructive doublet.

WHAT CAUSED VENEZUELA’S DOUBLE EARTHQUAKE?
Earthquakes are usually triggered by the collision of tectonic plates* and occur along plate boundaries where the plates meet.

According to an AP report, Wednesday’s doublet was caused by a movement between the Caribbean and South American tectonic plates.

Venezuela has a higher risk of damaging earthquakes than some other countries like Australia because it sits directly above the boundary where these two plates slide past one another.

WHEN WAS VENEZUELA’S LAST MAJOR EARTHQUAKE?
The last time Venezuela was hit by a more powerful tremor than Wednesday’s doublet was October 29, 1900, when a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit offshore “causing extensive damage to churches, public buildings and homes in the city”, US monitoring service USGS said.

However, Venezuela has had several other quakes since then, experiencing seven with a magnitude of 6 or higher within the past century, according to AP.

IS AUSTRALIA AT RISK OF DAMAGING EARTHQUAKES?
While Australia does experience earthquakes, they tend to be of much lower magnitude than the ones recorded in Venezuela.

According to Geoscience Australia, an average 100 quakes of magnitude 3 or more are recorded in Australia each year.

Since Australia is located away from the tectonic plate boundaries in an intraplate* region, there is less risk of a catastrophic earthquake than in countries situated along fault lines.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• seismic: vibrations within the earth’s crust caused by movements of the tectonic plates or volcanic activity
• rupture styles: the way the fault tears during an earthquake which determines the way seismic activity occurs
• crust: the solid, outermost layer of the earth which is made up of slowly moving pieces that fit together called the tectonic plates
• fault line: fractures in the earth’s crust where rocks have slid past each other
• tectonic plates: the parts of solid rock that form the earth’s crust, fitting together like puzzle pieces and sitting in a semi-molten layer of rock
• intraplate: the interior of a tectonic plate

EXTRA READING
Aussies shaken by three quakes
Why some buildings fall in quakes
What is at the centre of the Earth?

QUICK QUIZ
1. What is a doublet?
2. What causes aftershocks?
3. Why do you think so many high magnitude quakes happen in Venezuela?
4. What is an intraplate region?
5. When was Venezuela’s last double earthquake?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What causes quakes?
Create a diagram, or set of diagrams with labels that would help another student understand how and why earthquakes happen. Use information from the article and your own research skills.

Time: allow 30 minutes
Curriculum Links: Science

2. Extension
How do you think earthquake safe buildings are designed? Write a list of ideas and create a design for an earthquake safe office building or house.

Time: allow at least 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Design and Technologies

VCOP ACTIVITY
Wondrous wow words
After reading the article, with a partner, highlight as many wow words or ambitious pieces of vocabulary you can find in yellow. Discuss the meanings of these words and see if you can say them as part of a new sentence.