Quake hits area near Brazil-Peru border

The tremor of 6.4 on the Richter scale, registered today (Nov. 26) in the municipality of Tarauacá, Acre, northern Brazil, was an aftershock that came as a result of the earthquake that struck last Tuesday (24) in eastern Peru, near the border with Brazil. The clarification was made by George Sand, professor at the University of Brasília (UnB) Seismological Observatory, which recorded the quakes.

According to Sand, tremors are common in the region, but they usually come with lower frequency and magnitude. He explains that the area comprising eastern Peru and part of Acre state is under the influence of the South American and the Nazca plates, which is why cities in the region are subject to shaking.

The earthquake that struck on Tuesday (24) was rated at 7.4. Inhabitants of six cities in Acre—the capital Rio Branco, as well as Cruzeiro do Sul, Tarauacá, Sena Madureira, Xapuri and Santa Rosa do Purus—felt the shaking. The seismic activity was also perceived in Rondônia and Amazonas, Brazilian states surrounding Acre. This tremor, George Sand said, is yet to release all of its energy, and may cause further quakes of smaller magnitude, not likely to be felt by the population.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira