North region recorded biggest earthquake in Brazilian history

The North Region recorded, on Saturday (20 January 2024), the biggest earthquake in the history of Brazil. With 6.6 degrees on the Richter Scale, according to United States Geological Surveythe earthquake occurred at 6:31 pm Brasília time.

Although the United States Geological Survey reports that the tremor occurred near Tarauacá, in Acre, the exact coordinates point to an isolated area in Ipixuna, in Amazonas. So far, there is no record of damage.

The center of the tremor was 614.5 km deep, which allows the energy to dissipate. According to geologists, a tremor at this depth is unlikely to be felt by the population.

The China Earthquake Network Center also recorded the tremor. The intensity was also measured at 6.6 degrees on the Richter Scale, but the agency indicated a greater depth, of 630 km.

Brazilian Seismographic Network

Around 8pm on Saturday, the Brazilian Seismographic Network reported having detected the earthquake. At the time, the group stated that the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.5 degrees on the Richter Scale, with a depth of 628 kilometers, and that it had occurred in Tarauacá, but warned that the magnitude, depth and exact location of the epicenter could be revised in the following hours.

According to the Brazilian Seismographic Network, most events on the border between Brazil and Peru are deep because of the subduction (diving underneath) of the Nazca Plate under the South American platform. The strength of the earthquake, the entity highlighted, may have been attenuated by the relative great depth.

On June 7, 2022, Tarauacá, in the northwest of Acre, had registered an earthquake of 6.5 degrees, the second largest tremor in the country's history. At the time, the earthquake left no victims or material damage.

The tremors occur because the region is close to the Andes Mountains, one of the most seismically active areas on the planet. In the last 45 years, there have been around 96 earthquakes within a 250-kilometer radius of Tarauacá, according to the United States Geological Survey, none with serious consequences.

So far, neither the governments of Acre and Amazonas, nor the city halls of Tarauacá and Ipixuna have commented. Before the occurrences in the municipality of Acri, the largest earthquake in the history of Brazil had been recorded in the Serra do Tombador region, in Mato Grosso, on January 31, 1955, with 6.2 degrees on the Richter Scale.

With information from Brazil Agency.