Did the US cause Venezuela's earthquake? The economic theory

The man-made earthquake theory in Venezuela: a US economic operation?

A recent earthquake in Venezuela has revived an old suspicion: that the United States would have the technical capability to generate artificial earthquakes in order to destabilize countries and profit economically. The discussion, fueled in internet circles, points directly to the La Guaira geological fault and to precedents such as the Castor project in Tarragona, Spain, where gas extraction through fracking caused small tremors.

The core of the theory is that the quake — whose epicenter was located at a depth of 10 km — could have been induced through underwater explosions controlled by nuclear submarines or through wave technology. Supporters of this hypothesis claim that, after the disaster, American investors will buy up Venezuelan assets at bargain prices. "I'd bet €1,000 that in 5 years Venezuela will be full of skyscrapers and US companies," reads one forum post.

However, the scientific community points out that large earthquakes cannot easily be induced. The Castor case was an example of induced seismicity, but of low magnitude. The Venezuelan earthquake, by contrast, had a considerable magnitude. Moreover, the La Guaira region sits on an active fracture, which makes a natural cause more plausible.

The political connection is also present: some see parallels with the Lorca earthquake in Spain (2011), where speculation about a possible false flag attack linked to diplomatic maneuvers with Segarro circulated. Or with the Epstein and Trump case, brought up to argue that no president changes the supposed US deep-state plan.

The truth is that the theory lacks verified technical evidence. But its persistence reveals a deep distrust of the official narrative — and a skepticism that, in times of polarization, finds a possible economic plot in any natural disaster.