Experts dismiss link between powerful earthquakes in California, Japan, and Venezuela

Experts, however, have stated that these events were coincidental. William Barnhart, assistant coordinator for the US Geological Survey’s earthquake hazards program, noted that while all occurred along well-known plate boundaries with high seismic hazard, their timing was purely by chance. He explained that earthquakes happen daily worldwide, and Wednesday was an unusual day for significant quakes to occur in populated areas.

Martin Hudson, an adjunct professor of civil and environmental engineering at UCLA, echoed this sentiment, stating that historical data over the past 100 years shows no instances of earthquakes this far apart being related. He suggested that the two earthquakes in Venezuela likely triggered each other due to their close proximity, with one fault potentially causing another to rupture.