USGS relocates epicenter of Venezuela's June 24 magnitude‑7.5 earthquake to near Catia La Mar
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) issued an updated report on 28 July 2026 correcting the location of the second quake in the June 24, 2026 doublet that struck northern Venezuela. The magnitude‑7.5 event is now placed 17 km west of Catia La Mar in the state of La Guaira, with coordinates 10.622° N / 67.194° W and a depth of about 10 km. The correction replaces the preliminary assessment that had located the epicenter in Yaracuy, roughly 28 km southeast of Yumare, and narrows the previous error margin of about 270 km. The magnitude and depth remain unchanged.
The June 24 quake followed a magnitude‑7.2 tremor that occurred 39 seconds earlier, forming a destructive doublet that damaged Caracas, Miranda, Aragua, Falcón, Yaracuy, Carabobo and La Guaira, especially the coastal zones of Catia La Mar, Caraballeda and Macuto. Venezuelan Transport Minister Francisco Garcés confirmed the USGS correction on social media.
European Copernicus Sentinel‑1 satellites measured crustal displacement of up to 65 cm in the affected region, providing interferometric maps that show the ground uplift near Caracas, La Guaira and Caraballeda after the earthquakes.
Entities: Catia La Mar · Francisco Garcés · La Guaira · U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) · Venezuela
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Venezuelan Transport Minister Francisco Garcés confirmed the USGS correction on social media. (Social media post)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The preliminary USGS report had placed the epicenter in Yaracuy, about 28 km southeast of Yumare. (USGS preliminary report)
- [● 3 SOURCES] USGS corrected the epicenter of the June 24 2026 magnitude‑7.5 earthquake to 17 km west of Catia La Mar, La Guaira, Venezuela. (USGS report)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The earthquakes damaged Caracas, Miranda, Aragua, Falcón, Yaracuy, Carabobo and La Guaira, especially Catia La Mar, Caraballeda and Macuto. (Local authorities)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The correction reduced the location error margin by roughly 270 km. (USGS analysis)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Sentinel‑1 satellite interferometry measured ground displacement up to 65 cm near Caracas, La Guaira and Caraballeda after the June 24 earthquakes. (European Space Agency (ESA))
- [● 2 SOURCES] A magnitude‑7.2 earthquake occurred 39 seconds before the magnitude‑7.5 quake, forming a doublet. (USGS data)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The magnitude of the second earthquake remains 7.5 and its depth is about 10 km. (USGS report)