1986 João Câmara earthquake
Rare earthquake in northeastern Brazil / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1986 João Câmara earthquake (Portuguese: Sismo de João Câmara de 1986) struck on 30 November 1986 at 02:19 Brasília Time with a moment magnitude of 5.1 near the town of João Câmara, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The event was felt over a large area of northeastern Brazil, including the cities of Natal and Mossoró. It took place in a more seismically active part of Brazil, where deformation of land at the Brasiliano orogeny between the São Francisco and São Luís cratons formed a series of fault zones in between 1 billion to 538.8 million years ago. The 1986 João Câmara earthquake occurred on one of these fault zones while accompanied by a lengthy series of earthquakes which consisted more than 1,000 recorded events. This mainshock was preceded by a series of foreshocks that began in August and was followed by a series of aftershocks which continued until 1990. Widespread damage to buildings at João Câmara occurred and thousands of people were displaced.[3] The earthquake is widely remembered as one of the most significant events in Brazil's history.[4]
UTC time | 1986-11-30 05:19:48 |
---|---|
ISC event | 482615 |
USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
Local date | 30 November 1986 |
Local time | 02:19:48 Brasilia Standard Time |
Magnitude | 5.1 Mw 4.9 mb[1] |
Depth | 15 km (9 mi) |
Epicenter | 5.41°S 35.9°W / -5.41; -35.9 |
Type | Strike-slip |
Areas affected | Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil |
Max. intensity | MMI VII (Very strong)[2] |