NASA Confirms Massive Ground Shift in Caracas and La Guaira Caused by Earthquakes

NASA has confirmed significant ground displacement in northern Venezuela, directly attributing the extensive damage to infrastructure in Caracas and La Guaira to the earthquakes that struck on June 24. Scientists utilized cutting-edge technology, specifically the NISAR satellite, a joint project between the U.S. and Indian space agencies, to document these geographical changes along the central coast and the capital.

Geophysicist Eric Fielding of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) stated that the magnitude of the geological rupture explains the extreme destruction of housing and road infrastructure. "These are the reasons why the damage in Caracas and La Guaira was so extreme," he emphasized.

The InSAR technique, which compares multiple satellite passes to measure distance variations between the sensor and the ground, was employed for the analysis. Researchers compared data from June 25-30 with baseline images from June 13-18, prior to the seismic events. The analysis revealed both horizontal and vertical movement patterns, consistent with an earthquake originating from a lateral-slip fault.

The resulting map used red to indicate areas of eastward and upward displacement, and blue for westward and downward shifts. Deep blue zones south of a fault section showed westward surface displacement reaching up to 60 centimeters, exceeding that of adjacent areas. The earthquakes occurred along a fracture zone marking the boundary between the Caribbean and South American plates, with geologists determining that this limit, including the San Sebastián fault system, had accumulated stress over a long period before releasing energy.