A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, triggering a wave of misinformation across various social media platforms. Despite clear scientific consensus regarding the natural causes of seismic activity, online conspiracy theories have resurfaced, claiming that the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) in Alaska was responsible for the disaster.

HAARP is a legitimate scientific research facility funded by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, designed to study the ionosphere—the upper layer of Earth's atmosphere. Conspiracy theorists have long targeted the facility, baselessly alleging that its radio frequency transmissions can manipulate weather patterns or trigger earthquakes. These claims have been repeatedly debunked by geologists, physicists, and the facility’s own researchers, who note that HAARP lacks the power and the physical mechanism to influence tectonic plates or create seismic events.

While the earthquake caused significant concern among local populations in Colombia, the spread of these theories has complicated the dissemination of accurate safety information. The Independent reports that these claims are part of an enduring pattern of misinformation that frequently emerges following natural disasters. There is no evidence of any link between the Alaska-based research and the earthquake in Colombia, yet the narrative continues to gain traction in online spaces where scientific literacy is often bypassed in favor of sensationalist explanations.