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Four strong earthquakes were recorded within eight hours in three different countries, prompting speculation on the Internet. Seismologists emphasize that the coincidence in time is a coincidence...
An earthquake in California, another in Japan and two earthquakes in Venezuela were recorded just a few hours apart, but experts assure that these seismic events are not related to each other.
A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck a rural area in northern California on Wednesday. Hours later, a 7.2-magnitude quake struck off the northern coast of Japan, while two powerful quakes shook Venezuela, in a devastating event that caused widespread damage. All of the tremors occurred within an eight-hour period, prompting speculation on social media that they were connected.
Experts say the answer is no. According to William Barnhart, deputy coordinator of the Seismic Hazards Program at the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the only similarity between them is that they all occurred along known tectonic plate boundaries, areas of high seismic risk. The coincidence in timing, he says, is simply a coincidence.
“Earthquakes happen every day around the world. Most of them happen far from populated areas,” Barnhart said. “Yesterday was unusual because there were some pretty strong earthquakes in areas where they were felt by the population.” He added that a large earthquake can cause tremors that are also recorded in other parts of the world.
However, according to Martin Hudson, associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), it is very unusual for such a chain reaction to occur over distances of thousands of kilometers.
"If we look at earthquakes over the last 100 years, we've never seen earthquakes so far apart that they're connected," Hudson said.
In contrast, he estimated that the first 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Venezuela most likely caused the subsequent 7.5 magnitude earthquake, due to their proximity.
"A tectonic fault could be near the trigger point, and a strong earthquake nearby could set it in motion," Hudson explained.
According to him, dozens of earthquakes with magnitudes above 7 are recorded worldwide every year.
"It was a tragic coincidence that this happened in a populated area in Venezuela," he added, referring to the unfolding disaster, where more than 200 people have been confirmed dead.
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