Venezuela experienced its largest tremors in over a century on Wednesday evening, resulting in over 100 deaths. The event, according to the US Geological Survey, was a rare phenomenon called a “doublet” that contained two major earthquakes.
Understanding Doublets
Doublets occur when two quakes of similar magnitude happen in close succession, potentially causing more damage than a single quake. In this instance, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake shook northern Venezuela and was followed by a 7.5-magnitude quake only 39 seconds later.
Some researchers speculate that the event could have been caused by one large earthquake instead of a duo. The difference between one long earthquake and a twinned pair may not matter in terms of human outcomes, but it could teach scientists a lot about this uncommon occurrence and predicting the severity of earthquakes.
Earthquakes occur when two moving tectonic plates become stuck, build tension, and then suddenly release the pent-up energy. Wednesday’s tremors occurred on the boundary between the Caribbean and South American plates, which have been slipping at a rate of around 20 millimeters per year.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
