September 20, 1968 Earthquake: Carupano, Venezuela
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Carupano, Venezuela on September 20, 1968 at 06:00:05 UTC, 103 km below the surface. It killed 3 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- September 20, 1968
- Time
- 06:00:05 UTC
- Place
- Carupano, Venezuela
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 103 km (64 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 10.697° N, 62.748° W
- Country
- Venezuela
The toll
- Deaths
- 3
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Coffman and Cloud (1970) reported that earthquake occurred near the coast of Venezuela (affecting Caracas, Cumana, and Carupano). Singer et. al (1983) reported settlement and collapse at Peninsula de Paria, on the coast at Guiria, and destructive landslides at Rio Caribe and Tunapuy. The earthquake killed two people in Trinidad and severely damaged Diego Martin and Port-of-Spain. It was felt at Tobago, Guyana, and throughout Grenada, and Colombia.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 14, 1797, Cumana, Cariaco, Venezuela
- July 15, 1853, Cumana, Venezuela
- July 9, 1997, Cariaco-Cumana, Venezuela
- January 17, 1929, Cumana, Venezuela
- August 21, 2018, Sucre, Trinidad, Venezuela
- June 12, 1974, Venezuela
- September 1, 1530, Cumana, Venezuela
- June 11, 1986, Venezuela
- September 29, 2006, Gasparillo, Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago
- January 10, 1888, St George'S, Trinidad, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago
- August 13, 1868, Rio Caribe, Venezuela
- August 18, 1874, Pilar, Venezuela
- June 7, 1900, Casanay (Casanai),cariaco, Venezuela
- January 15, 2010, Cariaco, Venezuela
- August 2, 1498, Boca DE LA Sierpe, Venezuela
More
Significant earthquakes of 1968The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1968Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4463.