South America
What tectonic plate is Brazil on?
Brazil sits entirely on the South American Plate.
- Plates
- 1
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 16
- Holocene volcanoes
- 0
- Land area
- 8.50 million km²
Plates under Brazil
Share of Brazil's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
A plate boundary runs through or along Brazil: the Altiplano-South American boundary (convergent, about 1.3 cm/yr).
- Altiplano and South American: convergent, 1.3 cm/yr
Earthquakes in Brazil
Brazil has frequent large earthquakes: 16 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 37 of 213).
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 132 km SW of Tarauacá, Brazil | M7.6 | 1963 | 591 km | South American |
| 128 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | M7.4 | 1911 | 560 km | South American |
| 69 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil | M7.1 | 1989 | 593 km | South American |
| 105 km E of Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazil | M7.1 | 2003 | 558 km | South American |
| 124 km SSW of Tarauacá, Brazil | M7.0 | 1967 | 600 km | South American |
| 108 km W of Tarauacá, Brazil | M6.9 | 2002 | 534 km | South American |
Volcanoes in Brazil
Brazil has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Brazil on?
Brazil sits entirely on the South American Plate.
Is Brazil on a plate boundary?
A plate boundary runs through or along Brazil: the Altiplano-South American boundary (convergent, about 1.3 cm/yr).
Does Brazil get earthquakes?
Brazil has frequent large earthquakes: 16 of magnitude 6.5 or more struck in or just off the country since 1900 (rank 37 of 213). The largest was the M7.6 132 km SW of Tarauacá, Brazil in 1963.
Are there volcanoes in Brazil?
Brazil has no volcanoes that have erupted in the last 12,000 years, according to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.