Recently, two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.5 and 7.2 shook Venezuela. The event recorded on June 24 in the neighboring country is known as a "seismic doublet," or double sequence, as called by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This occurs when two earthquakes of similar magnitude occur in a short interval of time and proximity.
This is not the first time it has happened in Venezuela. In September 2025, an earthquake of magnitude 6.2 and another of magnitude 6.3 were recorded southwest of the recent doublet. Additionally, five earthquakes of magnitude greater than 7 have been recorded north or near the coast since 1900, according to the USGS.
Part of the answer to why it shakes so much in this country, but especially in Colombia, lies in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an extensive strip that surrounds the Pacific Ocean and concentrates most of the world's seismic and volcanic activity.
To better understand this concept, we need to be clear about how the dynamics beneath our feet work. According to the Colombian Geological Survey (SGC), the Earth's surface is not a single solid piece, but is fragmented into enormous blocks called tectonic plates that are constantly moving. That movement is very slow and almost imperceptible. To give an idea, the Caribbean Plate moves slowly eastward relative to the South American Plate, advancing about 20 millimeters per year.
But when these plates collide or slide against each other, they release accumulated energy that produces seismic events, tremors, or earthquakes.
In the case of Colombia, three tectonic plates interact: the Nazca Plate, which sinks beneath the South American Plate, and the Caribbean Plate, which exerts pressure from the north. In Venezuela, earthquakes have been the product of the latter two plates.
This interaction is responsible for about 2,500 seismic events per month (about 80 per day) in Colombia. Most are of low magnitude, the population does not perceive them, and they only remain in the technical reports of the National Seismological Network of Colombia, according to the SGC.
What does the Pacific Ring of Fire have to do with tectonic plates?
The belt, also called the Ring of Fire, is a chain of volcanoes and seismically active zones, extending approximately 40,000 kilometers and partially surrounding the Pacific Ocean basin. Its extent includes the Andes of South America, the west coast of Mexico and the United States, Central America, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, among other countries.
In this area, approximately 90% of the world's earthquakes are generated, as various plates meet and constantly collide on the edge of the Pacific.
In this USGS map, the extent of the belt is shaded in red. On the right side is America. The blue lines are known as "oceanic trenches," the deepest points on Earth. These are formed geologically at convergent boundaries of tectonic plates, in a process known as subduction. When two plates collide, one (the denser) slides and sinks beneath the other. This process creates a "ditch" or depression in the Earth's crust.
Although Venezuela is not part of this area, there is a high interaction of plates in its territory. The north of the country lies exactly on the friction boundary between the Caribbean Plate and the South American Plate. Additionally, there are geological faults (like cracks) that also generate significant seismic activity.
