5 Brazilian cities located on geological fault lines

Despite not being on the edge of any tectonic plate, Brazil has earthquakes due to geological faulting. See five Brazilian cities that are in them

After all, Brazil has earthquakes? We have learned that our country is located in the center of a tectonic plate, which guarantees that Brazil is free from strong tremors, but it is not uncommon to hear news of these events in different cities of the country.

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Small tremors can, yes, occur in these parts. This is due to the fact that there are so-called geological faults in the earth’s crust. These faults are fractures in blocks of rock caused by compression or extension due to tectonic activity.

These blocks can move causing tremors of greater or lesser intensity, depending on the fault. In Brazil, none of the faults have the potential to generate a major earthquake. Despite this, many of them are classified as active faults: they have moved in the last 1.6 million years, during the geological period known as the Quaternary.

Geological faults in Brazil

A survey conducted by UFMG in collaboration with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) indicates a number of 48 active geological faults in the Brazilian territory. THE canaltech lists five cities, one for each region of the country, that sit on some of these fault lines.

For each, all the significant seismic events recorded by the USP Seismological Center in a radius of 200 km from 2013 to 2023 were selected.

1. Cruzeiro do Sul – AC

The first name on the list belongs to one of the westernmost municipalities in all of Brazil: Cruzeiro do Sul, in the state of Acre. Due to its location, the city ends up feeling the effects of strong earthquakes Andes region. The great distance, however, causes the intensity perceived by the population to be lower than that in Peruvian cities or Chile.

The municipality is close to Falha Batã-Cruzeiro. According to data from the USP Seismological Center, among the 116 earthquakes recorded in the last 10 years, the strongest reached 6.2 degrees.

2. Sete Lagoas – MG

Minas Gerais is one of the states with the highest number of seismic events in Brazil, especially in the northern municipalities. Seven lagoons it is in the center of the state, but its geographic location between two active fault lines – the Falha da Estrela and the Falha Cardeal Mota – makes earthquakes a relatively common occurrence there.

Despite having the most occurrences on our list, 200 in total, not all earthquakes are felt by the population. Only one surpassed 3 degrees in 2016.

3. Curitiba – PR

Other Brazilian capitals are close to geological faults, but Curitiba is the only one that appears directly above one in the Quaternary fault survey. The Cubatão Shear area runs through the city and extends to the municipality of the same name on the coast of São Paulo.

There are 157 tremors recorded in the region in the last 10 years. As in the rest of the country, they usually do not exceed 3 degrees of magnitude – the most intense, in 2013, reached 3.7 degrees.

4. Miranda – SM

The Brazilian Midwest is the region with the fewest geological faults in the UFMG and USGS survey. The only one that appears in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul is the Falha de Coxim, which runs through the municipality of Miranda.

The number of recorded earthquakes is also the lowest on our list: only 20 are listed in the USP’s earthquake catalog.

5. João Câmara – RN

Northeast Brazil is the region of the country with the most mapped faults, with Rio Grande do Norte alone already hosting four, including the largest of all in the country. The Falha de Samambaia stretches for 38 kilometres, crossing villages such as João Câmara.

There are 157 tremors recorded in the region in the last 10 years. As in the rest of the country, they usually do not exceed 3 degrees of magnitude – the most intense, in 2013, reached 3.7 degrees.

Want to know more?

The 48 major active geological faults in Brazil can be seen in the map provided by USGS. To track earthquakes around the world, visit the earthquake page. USP Seismological Center. Here it is also possible to consult the seismic events in the desired places and periods.

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Camila

Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.