A double seismic event has recently affected Venezuela, a country thousands of kilometers away. In response to the tragedy's scale, the Association of Venezuelans in Terrassa (ASOVENTE) has quickly mobilized to collect aid supplies for those affected. From this Friday until Sunday, between 6 PM and 8 PM, association members will be collecting donations at a designated point on Rambla d’Ègara.
The double earthquake in Venezuela generated aftershocks felt across the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”. In Catalonia, the distance means these tremors have not been felt. However, the question arises about the risk of experiencing an earthquake in Terrassa and the Vallès region.
The answer is affirmative: Catalonia can experience seismic activity, especially in the Pyrenees, the inland areas of the Girona region, and Vallès. According to the Sismicat plan Guide, low-magnitude tremors occur daily, imperceptible to humans, with a low risk of severe damage. Nevertheless, the risk exists, and it is something to coexist with.
Historically, Catalonia has recorded significant earthquakes. In the early 15th century, tremors affected the Selva, Garrotxa, and Ripollès regions, causing over 1,000 deaths. In the 20th century, about a hundred events of magnitude 5 or higher were documented, with considerable damage in two instances: the one in the Vall d’Aran in 1923 and the one in Sant Celoni in 1927.
Earthquakes can be felt from magnitude 2. At magnitude 3.5, hanging objects start to move, and damage appears from magnitude 5 onwards. In Terrassa, the earthquake of February 1428, known as the Candelera earthquake, is remembered, causing over 1,000 deaths in Catalonia, primarily concentrated in Ripollès and Cerdanya. Its effects were felt in the church of Santa Maria.
More recently, a magnitude 4.3 earthquake with its epicenter in Alt Urgell was felt in Terrassa in early April 2019, with a repeat in October of the same year. On July 2, 2016, another tremor with an epicenter between Terrassa, Matadepera, and Vacarisses was perceptible. Another movement is also documented in November 2006.
In the 20th century, notable earthquakes include the one in the Vall d’Aran in 1923, with a magnitude between 5.2 and 5.6, and the one in Montseny in 1927. Although the latter did not cause fatalities, it did result in structural damage.
