USGS · August 18, 2026

Magnitude 3.8 earthquake — 8 km NNE of Catia La Mar, Venezuela

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake was recorded near 8 km NNE of Catia La Mar, Venezuela on Aug 18, 2026, 03:07 AM (local time at the epicentre — UTC-4), at a depth of about 17.4 km, according to USGS.

USGSFelt by 5 people · community intensity III (weak)Shallow (0–70 km)Reviewed by a seismologist

Updated 2026-09-04 17:46 UTC

The full record

Magnitude: M 3.8 · body-wave magnitude
Location: 8 km NNE of Catia La Mar, Venezuela
Local time at the epicentre: Aug 18, 2026, 03:07 AM — UTC-4
Time (UTC): 2026-08-18 07:07 UTC
Depth: 17.4 km · Shallow (0–70 km)
Coordinates: 10.679, -67.007
Felt reports: Felt by 5 people · community intensity III (weak)
Tsunami: No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.
Significance: 224 / 1000 · routine event
Solution quality: 32 seismic stations used · 76° azimuthal gap (well-constrained epicentre)
Review status: Reviewed by a seismologist
Catalog: USGS

Open the official catalog record

Epicentre and nearby recent earthquakes

The highlighted circle is this earthquake. Smaller circles are other events recorded nearby in the last 30 days.

What the shaking was like

Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

People who reported it described intensity III (Weak): Felt indoors; hanging objects swing, like a passing truck.

Felt it yourself? USGS collects first-hand reports through “Did You Feel It?”, and those reports are what produce the community intensity above.

Who lives nearby

About 3,345,246 people live in towns within 30 km of the epicentre, and 7,878,947 within 100 km. Distances are from the epicentre to the town centre.

Place	Distance	Population
Catia La Mar	8.7 km SSW	106,822
Maiquetía	10.9 km SSE	52,564
La Guaira	11.8 km SE	25,259
Macuto	14.5 km SE	—
Caraballeda	18.5 km ESE	37,824
El Junko	24.5 km SSW	—
Caracas	25.4 km SSE	3,000,000
Chacao	26.4 km SE	64,609
Caricuao	27.4 km S	—
Los Dos Caminos	28.3 km SE	58,168

Earthquake history in this area

No earthquake of magnitude 4.5+ has been recorded within 200 km of this epicentre since 1960, in Venezuela.

Other earthquakes near this epicentre

10 other events within 100 km in the last 30 days.

Be first to know about the next earthquake near 8 km NNE of Catia La Mar, Venezuela

SeismoWatch pushes a notification to your Android phone within minutes of a matching earthquake — for the area and magnitude you choose.

Get the Android app

Frequently asked questions

How strong was the 8 km NNE of Catia La Mar, Venezuela earthquake?

Magnitude 3.8 (body-wave magnitude), at a depth of 17.4 km. Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

Exactly when did it happen?

Aug 18, 2026, 03:07 AM (local time at the epicentre — UTC-4). In universal time: 2026-08-18 07:07 UTC.

Was it felt?

Felt by 5 people · community intensity III (weak). Felt indoors; hanging objects swing, like a passing truck.

Was there a tsunami warning?

No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.

Which towns are closest to the epicentre?

The closest is Catia La Mar, 8.7 km SSW (population 106,822).

Are earthquakes normal in this area?

10 further events were recorded within 100 km of the epicentre in the last 30 days.

How do I get alerts for the next earthquake here?

Install the free SeismoWatch Android app, draw a box over this area, set a minimum magnitude, and turn alerts on.

About this page

Event data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and, in Venezuela, FUNVISIS. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.