The Geology of Disaster

A local geophysicist says the La Guaira earthquake exposed the deadly intersection of tectonics, local soils and vulnerable infrastructure.

Emily Smith Llinas

5 August, 2026

Intense ground displacement near Caracas and La Guaira, Venezuela, after earthquakes struck the region on June 24, 2026. The map from NASA Earth Observatory, was derived from the NASA-Indian Space Research Organisation synthetic aperture radar with data acquired on June 25 and June 30 (after the earthquakes) and June 13 and June 18 (before the earthquakes).

Response to the Venezuela earthquakes takes a variety of forms. While responders run to the scene and philanthropists raise money, seismologists work to understand what happened and to mitigate the impact of future disasters.

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