Why Are So Many Major Earthquakes Happening in 2026?
Major earthquakes have struck Indonesia, Colombia, Mexico, the Philippines and Venezuela, fueling concerns that 2026 could be an unusually active year
A series of powerful earthquakes around the world in 2026 has sparked debate about whether Earth is experiencing an unusually active year. While about 20,000 earthquakes are recorded globally each year, most are too weak to feel. The strongest quake so far was a magnitude 7.8 off Mindanao in the Philippines, which killed over 100 people. Other notable events included magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes in Venezuela, as well as magnitude 7.4 or higher tremors in Mexico, Colombia, and Indonesia.
Geologists suggest that the recent wave of activity is within the range of normalcy, with about 15 to 18 earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 to 7.9 occurring annually. However, the focus on recent destructive events may make them seem more frequent than they truly are due to cognitive biases like recency bias and the frequency illusion.
Earthquakes happen when tectonic plates, which make up Earth's outer shell, suddenly slip along faults. Most earthquakes occur along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active region stretching from the western Americas to Southeast Asia and New Zealand. While magnitude is a key measure of an earthquake's size, factors like depth, proximity to populated areas, soil conditions, building quality, and the potential for tsunamis or landslides determine their impact.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
