Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Brazil
Brazil has catalogued 101 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 78th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.6.
Brazil ranks 78th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 5 M4+ events a year alongside 27 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Its M6+ record runs from 1911 to 2024, peaking in 1963.
- 101
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 27
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.6
- Strongest
- ~5
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Brazil is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 101 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 27 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.6.
- 1963
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 571 km
- average recorded event depth
- 4%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.7 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Cayman Islands sits immediately above at 109 events and Cyprus sits immediately below at 97.
USGS ComCat event tape
Event tape BRAZIL · Brazil M4+ · 78th/187
Brazil · 101 M4+ · max M7.6 · 27 M6+
- BUSY 101
- SHAL 78th/187
- PCT M7.6
- VS-PEER 27
- COMCAT near Cayman Islands
- TAPE 4% shallow
Stamps derive from this country's USGS ComCat row (M4+ book, rank, peak magnitude, M6+ record, ladder neighbour, depth/peak year), not a hazard forecast. PlainQuake is informational only - not professional advice and not a substitute for official USGS guidance. See our disclaimer. Verify with USGS ComCat → · Read with methodology → · How earthquakes are measured → · Reading earthquake data → · All country catalog rows → · Countries ranked →
Observed impact record
What ComCat observed after earthquakes in Brazil
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 6 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 3.4. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 6
- Average observed MMI
- 3.4
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 5 / 0
Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.
Where Brazil sits in the catalog
Rank 78th of 187 tracked countries (58th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Cayman Islands sits immediately above at 109 events and Cyprus sits immediately below at 97.
- Cayman Islands - next more active (109 M4+)
- Cyprus - next less active (97 M4+)
Same M4+ count, broken by peak magnitude
2 tracked countries share Brazil's exact count of 101 M4+ events since 2005. Among that cohort, Brazil ranks 1st of 2 by strongest recorded magnitude (M6.8).
| Country | M4+ count | Strongest |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (this page) | 101 | M6.8 |
| Uzbekistan | 101 | M5.7 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Brazil by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1989
1989: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1993
1993: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1994
1994: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1997
1997: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2002
2002: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2003
2003: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 2007
2007: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2010
2010: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2015
2015: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2019
2019: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2022
2022: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2024
2024: 2 major (M6+) events
2
What this shows Brazil's most active year for major earthquakes was 1963 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
7 of 101 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 27 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Brazil.
M7.0-7.9
5
18.5%
M6.0-6.9
22
81.5%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 27 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 571 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
1
3.7% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
26
96.3% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Brazil
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.6 | 132 km SW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 590.7 km | Nov 9, 1963 |
| 7.4 | 128 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 560.0 km | Apr 28, 1911 |
| 7.1 | 105 km E of Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil | 558.1 km | Jun 20, 2003 |
| 7.1 | 69 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil | 593.4 km | May 5, 1989 |
| 7.0 | 124 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 600.4 km | Feb 15, 1967 |
| 6.9 | 108 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil | 534.3 km | Oct 12, 2002 |
| 6.8 | 90 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil | 570.4 km | Jan 5, 2019 |
| 6.8 | 23 km WSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 646.0 km | Jul 9, 1950 |
| 6.7 | 125 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 602.8 km | Nov 26, 2015 |
| 6.7 | 104 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 593.8 km | Nov 3, 1965 |
Significant earthquake record (27 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Brazil since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 70 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil | 621.1 km | Jan 28, 2024 |
| 6.6 | 123 km NW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 607.0 km | Jan 20, 2024 |
| 6.5 | 107 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 622.7 km | Jun 8, 2022 |
| 6.8 | 90 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil | 570.4 km | Jan 5, 2019 |
| 6.7 | 125 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 602.8 km | Nov 26, 2015 |
| 6.5 | 87 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil | 581.2 km | May 24, 2010 |
| 6.1 | 55 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil | 644.9 km | Jul 21, 2007 |
| 7.1 | 105 km E of Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil | 558.1 km | Jun 20, 2003 |
| 6.0 | 91 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil | 559.9 km | Apr 27, 2003 |
| 6.9 | 108 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil | 534.3 km | Oct 12, 2002 |
| 6.1 | 115 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 602.6 km | Mar 25, 1997 |
| 6.1 | 148 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 591.3 km | Nov 4, 1994 |
| 6.1 | 86 km WSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 572.8 km | May 6, 1993 |
| 7.1 | 69 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil | 593.4 km | May 5, 1989 |
| 6.3 | 127 km ENE of Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil | 608.5 km | Mar 26, 1986 |
| 6.6 | 125 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 599.9 km | May 1, 1985 |
| 6.2 | 158 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 598.6 km | Jun 2, 1983 |
| 6.1 | 129 km NE of Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil | 563.7 km | Jan 21, 1972 |
| 6.4 | 129 km NE of Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil | 567.5 km | Jan 12, 1972 |
| 7.0 | 124 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 600.4 km | Feb 15, 1967 |
| 6.7 | 104 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 593.8 km | Nov 3, 1965 |
| 6.3 | 100 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 593.9 km | Nov 10, 1963 |
| 7.6 | 132 km SW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 590.7 km | Nov 9, 1963 |
| 6.3 | 207 km WSW of Sinop, Brazil | 15.0 km | Jan 31, 1955 |
| 6.8 | 23 km WSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 646.0 km | Jul 9, 1950 |
| 6.7 | 21 km WSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 620.0 km | Apr 23, 1915 |
| 7.4 | 128 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | 560.0 km | Apr 28, 1911 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Brazil-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Brazil-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Showing 6 of 186 countries with a recorded max magnitude.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 317,293 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,444 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-26.