On June 24, 2026, a seismic doublet consisting of Mw 7.2 and Mw 7.5 events struck north-central Venezuela, causing severe damage along the central coast, particularly in La Guaira State. In the absence of instrumental accelerographic records, this INGENIAR report presents a preliminary analysis based on numerical simulation of the strong ground motion generated by the second earthquake, Mw 7.5, which occurred on the San Sebastián fault.
The study characterizes the seismic demand in the towns of Catia La Mar, La Guaira, and Caraballeda using synthetic accelerograms, evaluates local amplification effects associated with the coastal alluvial deposits, and estimates the liquefaction potential of the shallow soils. The results show that the rupture, with pronounced directivity toward the east, generated velocity pulses and exceptionally high demand levels at intermediate and long periods, compounded by the dynamic response of the alluvial deposits and the liquefaction susceptibility in areas near the coast.
These findings provide technical input for updating design spectra, seismic microzonation, and resilient reconstruction processes along Venezuela’s central coast. The simulated accelerograms are published under a Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license.
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