Double earthquake and nonlinearity: uncounted seismic energy in the Venezuela 2026 doublet?

This preprint presents a physical hypothesis regarding the seismic doublet that struck Venezuela on June 24, 2026: two earthquakes of magnitude M7.2 and M7.5, separated by only 60 seconds and 9 kilometers, with the second event being stronger and shallower than the first. Starting from the principle of energy conservation, the analysis argues that the singular nature of this event — a second rupture nucleating in rock already driven into the nonlinear regime by the first — may have generated a fraction of seismic energy that conventional analysis does not account for. This nonlinear energy shifts to intermodulation frequencies (notably a ~60 s / 228 km component) that fall outside the passband of common short-period seismometers, making it difficult to measure. The document estimates the distance of maximum nonlinear accumulation (100–200 km, coinciding with Caracas and Maiquetía), examines the speaker-cone amplification geometry of the La Guaira coastline, and proposes specific falsifiable predictions and the instruments (VBB seismometers, high-rate GNSS, strainmeters, InSAR) needed to verify them. It is an open invitation to verify, not a closed claim

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-06-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21013563
Primary Topic
Geological and Tectonic Studies in Latin America
Type
preprint
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preprint

Double earthquake and nonlinearity: uncounted seismic energy in the Venezuela 2026 doublet?

RAFAEL ARIAS GAMEZ
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Geological and Tectonic Studies in Latin America
preprint

Double earthquake and nonlinearity: uncounted seismic energy in the Venezuela 2026 doublet?

RAFAEL ARIAS GAMEZ
preprint en

Abstract

This preprint presents a physical hypothesis regarding the seismic doublet that struck Venezuela on June 24, 2026: two earthquakes of magnitude M7.2 and M7.5, separated by only 60 seconds and 9 kilometers, with the second event being stronger and shallower than the first. Starting from the principle of energy conservation, the analysis argues that the singular nature of this event — a second rupture nucleating in rock already driven into the nonlinear regime by the first — may have generated a fraction of seismic energy that conventional analysis does not account for. This nonlinear energy shifts to intermodulation frequencies (notably a ~60 s / 228 km component) that fall outside the passband of common short-period seismometers, making it difficult to measure. The document estimates the distance of maximum nonlinear accumulation (100–200 km, coinciding with Caracas and Maiquetía), examines the speaker-cone amplification geometry of the La Guaira coastline, and proposes specific falsifiable predictions and the instruments (VBB seismometers, high-rate GNSS, strainmeters, InSAR) needed to verify them. It is an open invitation to verify, not a closed claim

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Geological and Tectonic Studies in Latin America
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