A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on August 10, 2026, killing at least 331 people. It was the country's strongest quake since 1979, caused by ordinary tectonic movement. Within days, posts blaming the U.S.-funded HAARP research program went viral.
At least 331 people died in the August 10, 2026 earthquake in Chocó, Colombia. That part is not up for debate.
Ordered by how far each claim has spread. Click a claim to read its check.
The claims
What people sayWhat we actually know
“HAARP caused the earthquake in Colombia — it's a weather/earthquake weapon, not a natural disaster”
Viral posts blamed HAARP for Colombia's August 2026 earthquake.
FALSE
The quake struck 110 kilometers deep, at least ten times deeper than any human-caused event. Its energy dwarfed HAARP's transmission power by millions of times. Colombia's Geological Service and USGS attribute it to ordinary faulting deep inside a tectonic plate.
“HAARP hit Venezuela and now Colombia — Mexico, prepare, because that weapon is coming for us next”
Posts link Venezuela and Colombia quakes to a coming HAARP attack on Mexico.
FALSE
Venezuela's June quake and Colombia's August quake struck on separate fault systems hundreds of miles apart. Geological agencies say earthquake prediction is scientifically impossible. No record links the two events or supports a coming attack on Mexico.
“HAARP had a research campaign scheduled Aug 4–13, exactly when the quake hit — that's not a coincidence”
Posts cited a HAARP campaign date range as proof it caused the quake.
FALSE
HAARP's actual transmission window ran August 12-14, two days after the quake. The Aug 4-13 dates cited online describe an academic summer school whose first week ran virtually. No transmission is on record before the August 10 earthquake.
{
"audit": "Vetted report — vetted.thrain.ai/colombia-earthquake-haarp",
"story": "The Colombia HAARP Hoax",
"updated": "August 31, 2026",
"background": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Colombia_earthquake",
"methodology": "https://vetted.thrain.ai/how-it-works",
"verdictScale": {
"TRUE": "confirmed by the record",
"STRETCHED": "contains a real detail, but the conclusion goes beyond it",
"NO PROOF": "no evidence found for it, none against it",
"FALSE": "contradicted by the record",
"OPEN": "credible evidence on both sides, or being actively decided"
},
"claims": [
{
"claim": "HAARP caused the earthquake in Colombia — it's a weather/earthquake weapon, not a natural disaster",
"vettedVerdict": "FALSE",
"vettedFinding": "The quake struck 110 kilometers deep, at least ten times deeper than any human-caused event. Its energy dwarfed HAARP's transmission power by millions of times. Colombia's Geological Service and USGS attribute it to ordinary faulting deep inside a tectonic plate.",
"vettedSources": [
"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/08/13/colombia-earthquake-fact-check/",
"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000tjl2/executive",
"https://alaskapublic.org/news/2026-08-14/conspiracy-theories-falsely-blame-colombia-earthquake-on-alaska-research-program",
"https://colombiaone.com/2026/08/12/haarp-resurfaces-after-colombia-earthquake/",
"https://verificado.com.mx/conspiracion-terremotos-colombia-venezuela-haarp"
]
},
{
"claim": "HAARP hit Venezuela and now Colombia — Mexico, prepare, because that weapon is coming for us next",
"vettedVerdict": "FALSE",
"vettedFinding": "Venezuela's June quake and Colombia's August quake struck on separate fault systems hundreds of miles apart. Geological agencies say earthquake prediction is scientifically impossible. No record links the two events or supports a coming attack on Mexico.",
"vettedSources": [
"https://verificado.com.mx/conspiracion-terremotos-colombia-venezuela-haarp",
"https://maldita.es/desinfo/20260812/despues-de-venezuela-y-colombia-se-viene-un-megaterremoto-provocado-por-el-haarp-en-mexico/",
"https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/24/weather/live-news/venezuela-earthquake-puerto-rico-tsunami",
"https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167837"
]
},
{
"claim": "HAARP had a research campaign scheduled Aug 4–13, exactly when the quake hit — that's not a coincidence",
"vettedVerdict": "FALSE",
"vettedFinding": "HAARP's actual transmission window ran August 12-14, two days after the quake. The Aug 4-13 dates cited online describe an academic summer school whose first week ran virtually. No transmission is on record before the August 10 earthquake.",
"vettedSources": [
"https://haarp.gi.alaska.edu/transmissions",
"https://daily.hamweekly.com/2026/08/haarp-research-campaign-august-12-14-polar-aeronomy-and-radio-science/",
"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000tjl2/executive"
]
}
]
}
You are auditing Vetted (vetted.thrain.ai) — AI agents pull viral claims from social media and check them against the public record, marking each TRUE / STRETCHED / NO PROOF / FALSE / OPEN. Your job is to audit us. Independently verify every claim below against current reporting and public records — do not take our word for anything.
How to read our marks (definitions in verdictScale): NO PROOF means no evidence either way — it is not FALSE. We grade the act a claim asserts, not the atmosphere around it; charged is not convicted; where the record runs out we apply plain logic and say so.
For each claim: give your own verdict on our scale, then whether it matches vettedVerdict. Where you disagree, say exactly why and cite sources. Full methodology: vetted.thrain.ai/how-it-works
{
"audit": "Vetted report — vetted.thrain.ai/colombia-earthquake-haarp",
"story": "The Colombia HAARP Hoax",
"updated": "August 31, 2026",
"background": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Colombia_earthquake",
"methodology": "https://vetted.thrain.ai/how-it-works",
"verdictScale": {
"TRUE": "confirmed by the record",
"STRETCHED": "contains a real detail, but the conclusion goes beyond it",
"NO PROOF": "no evidence found for it, none against it",
"FALSE": "contradicted by the record",
"OPEN": "credible evidence on both sides, or being actively decided"
},
"claims": [
{
"claim": "HAARP caused the earthquake in Colombia — it's a weather/earthquake weapon, not a natural disaster",
"vettedVerdict": "FALSE",
"vettedFinding": "The quake struck 110 kilometers deep, at least ten times deeper than any human-caused event. Its energy dwarfed HAARP's transmission power by millions of times. Colombia's Geological Service and USGS attribute it to ordinary faulting deep inside a tectonic plate.",
"vettedSources": [
"https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/08/13/colombia-earthquake-fact-check/",
"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000tjl2/executive",
"https://alaskapublic.org/news/2026-08-14/conspiracy-theories-falsely-blame-colombia-earthquake-on-alaska-research-program",
"https://colombiaone.com/2026/08/12/haarp-resurfaces-after-colombia-earthquake/",
"https://verificado.com.mx/conspiracion-terremotos-colombia-venezuela-haarp"
]
},
{
"claim": "HAARP hit Venezuela and now Colombia — Mexico, prepare, because that weapon is coming for us next",
"vettedVerdict": "FALSE",
"vettedFinding": "Venezuela's June quake and Colombia's August quake struck on separate fault systems hundreds of miles apart. Geological agencies say earthquake prediction is scientifically impossible. No record links the two events or supports a coming attack on Mexico.",
"vettedSources": [
"https://verificado.com.mx/conspiracion-terremotos-colombia-venezuela-haarp",
"https://maldita.es/desinfo/20260812/despues-de-venezuela-y-colombia-se-viene-un-megaterremoto-provocado-por-el-haarp-en-mexico/",
"https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/24/weather/live-news/venezuela-earthquake-puerto-rico-tsunami",
"https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167837"
]
},
{
"claim": "HAARP had a research campaign scheduled Aug 4–13, exactly when the quake hit — that's not a coincidence",
"vettedVerdict": "FALSE",
"vettedFinding": "HAARP's actual transmission window ran August 12-14, two days after the quake. The Aug 4-13 dates cited online describe an academic summer school whose first week ran virtually. No transmission is on record before the August 10 earthquake.",
"vettedSources": [
"https://haarp.gi.alaska.edu/transmissions",
"https://daily.hamweekly.com/2026/08/haarp-research-campaign-august-12-14-polar-aeronomy-and-radio-science/",
"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000tjl2/executive"
]
}
]
}