M7.2 Earthquake 20 km E of San Felipe, Venezuela — June 24, 2026
2026-06-24 22:04:31 UTC (2026-06-24) · approx. 5:04 PM UTC-5 local
Maximum shaking intensity MMI 8.8 (violent).
On June 24, 2026 at 22:04 UTC, a magnitude 7.2 shallow crustal earthquake struck 20 km E of San Felipe, Venezuela, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 10.3713°, -68.5564°. The USGS PAGER system issued a red alert level for this event, indicating widespread severe impact likely. This earthquake was detected by 120 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 2000, making it one of the most significant global earthquakes in recent days. The nearest populated place is San Felipe (population 220,786).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 7.2 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 951 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 56 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 655,003 |
| MMI 4 | light | 12,304,107 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 4,708,426 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 5,251,499 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 627,103 |
| MMI 8 | severe | 332,374 |
| MMI 9 | violent | 36,301 |
Earthquake Details
-68.5564°E
Technical Information
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 7.2 earthquake near San Felipe, Venezuela?
The magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck 20 km E of San Felipe, Venezuela on June 24, 2026 at 22:04 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 10.3713°, -68.5564°, which is 20 km E of San Felipe, Venezuela. The nearest populated place is San Felipe (population 220,786).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 7.2 earthquakes can continue for months to years and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us6000t7zc). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, June 24, 2026). M7.2 Earthquake 20 km E of San Felipe, Venezuela — June 24, 2026. Retrieved August 7, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us6000t7zc/