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[INTERNATIONAL] · Colombia, Venezuela · 4 sources

Colombia earthquake has different tectonic origin than Venezuela quakes

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia on Monday, centered in San José del Palmar, Chocó, at a depth of 103 kilometers. The tremor, which caused at least 132 deaths, was felt across a wide area of the country.

Seismologist Viviana Dionisio of the National Seismological Network of Colombia clarified that this event is tectonically unrelated to the recent earthquakes in Venezuela, despite both having similar magnitudes. The Colombian earthquake was a subduction-related event caused by the Nazca Plate sliding beneath the South American Plate.

In contrast, the Venezuelan earthquakes, which resulted in over 6,300 deaths, were caused by a different mechanism involving lateral movement between the Caribbean and South American plates. Dionisio noted that the Venezuelan quakes were shallower, which often leads to higher intensity near the epicenter compared to deeper seismic events.

Entities

Colombia · National Seismological Network of Colombia · Nazca Plate · Venezuela · Viviana Dionisio

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