The world seems to have entered a period when the seismic environment is becoming more unstable and earthquakes are occurring with increasing frequency.
Over the past 10 days, more than 140 major earthquakes have occurred in the world. On Sunday alone, there were more than 50, writes Michael Snyder in the blog The American Dream. And these were not weak earthquakes. The US Geological Survey considers earthquakes of at least 4.5 to be "significant."
A massive 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the northern coast of Venezuela on Tuesday and damaged buildings in the capital, Caracas, Reuters reported, citing the US Geological Survey.
The epicenter of the earthquake was near the town of Carupano, an area of poor fishing communities. The tremors were felt in neighboring Colombia and nearby island states such as Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Lucia.
On Sunday, the US Geological Survey recorded a powerful 8.2 magnitude earthquake in the Pacific Ocean near the Fiji Islands.
In just 48 hours, on Sunday and Monday, 69 major earthquakes occurred in the "ring of fire" - the area around the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean where most of the active volcanoes are located and the vast majority of earthquakes that shake our planet occur.
16 "significant" aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or more shook the "ring of fire" on Monday after 53 earthquakes on Sunday, writes the Daily Mail.
The tremors have raised concerns that a devastating earthquake of magnitude 8 or more could occur in the California area, the newspaper notes.
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Scientists have previously warned that seismic activity in the "ring of fire" could trigger a domino effect, triggering earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in other parts of the region.
An increase in the frequency and intensity of earthquakes is observed throughout the planet.
On the night of August 15-16 and in the morning of August 17, several earthquakes occurred in the Molise region of Italy. Fluctuations were also felt in the Marche area near the port city of Ancona.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 struck 4 km from the southeastern city of Montecilfone in the Molise region on the night of August 16, the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) reported.
As reported by "Vesti. Ekonomika", earlier in August on the Indonesian island of Lombok there was an earthquake of magnitude 6.6, which killed nearly 100 people. Several thousand houses were damaged. The authorities carried out a mass evacuation.
In addition to the unusually frequent earthquakes, dozens of volcanoes are currently erupting around the world.