Colombia and Venezuela earthquakes: What made them so different?

NPR | By Katia Riddle

Published August 12, 2026 at 5:04 PM CDT

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The earthquake that hit Colombia was deadly, but not nearly as tragic as the one that hit its neighbor Venezuela. That's because while the quakes were of similar size, they differed in other features.

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Katia Riddle

Katia Riddle is a correspondent on NPR’s science desk.