When the earth moves: six major earthquakes of 2026

Is 2026 a particularly bad year for earthquakes ? The number of extremely strong quakes so far this year is not, in fact, unusual. Over the long term, around the world, there are an average of about 15 earthquakes per year registering above magnitude 7 on the Richter scale. By mid-August this year, there had been 10. The devastation some of the quakes have wreaked has, however, been striking.

On June 24, Venezuela was hit by an earthquake that proved to be by far the deadliest this year. A magnitude 7.2 quake was followed just 39 seconds later by an even stronger one of magnitude 7.5. The north of the country and the capital, Caracas, were the areas worst affected.

According to official figures, more than 6,300 people were killed in the double earthquake. The effects on the impoverished country's infrastructure have also been dramatic. Shortly afterward, a satellite-based assessment by researchers at Oregon State University provisionally concluded that more than 58,000 buildings may have been damaged or destroyed.

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With a magnitude of 7.8, the earthquake on June 8 off the southern coast of the Philippine island of Mindanao was the strongest of 2026 so far. It occurred at a depth of about 57 kilometers (35 miles), and was felt across large parts of the island.

At least 107 people were killed. But the fact that, despite the very high magnitude of the quake, far fewer people died in the Philippines than in Venezuela demonstrates that the strength of the quake does not necessarily determine the severity of the consequences.

On August 10, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake shook western Colombia . The epicenter was in the Choco region, near San Jose del Palmar. Although the quake occurred at a depth of 100 kilometers (62 miles), the damage it caused was immense.

More than 250 people are currently estimated to have died. Landslides and damaged roads are hampering the search for victims buried beneath the rubble, as well as the provision of supplies to remote areas. After Venezuela, this quake is the most consequential so far this year for Latin America.