On Sunday Night a Strong M6.5 Earthquake struck near Tarauacá in Brazil.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 28th, 2024. Last updated March 28th, 2024.

In the night of Sunday January 28th, 2024, a strong M6.5 earthquake hit under land 70 kilometer from Tarauacá in Brazil. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 340 thousand people. Peru is also near its epicenter.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in Brazil, 70 kilometer (43 mi) west of Tarauacá in Acre. The center of this earthquake had a very deep depth of 621 km. Deep earthquakes usually have less impact than shallower earthquakes of similar strenght.

Date and Time:	Jan 28, 2024 04:38 (Rio Branco Time) - Jan 28, 2024 09:38 Universal Time.
Location:	70 km west of Tarauacá, Acre, Brazil. Coordinates 8°14'10"S 71°24'2"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 6.5 Detected by 25 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.062 .
Depth:	621 km (386 mi) A very deep depth.
Max. Intensity:	III Weak On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While a very strong earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 340 thousand people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 340 thousand people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

Very weak shaking and no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 343,100 people. At II, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused.

People in 2 countries have been exposed to shaking. In Brazil , around 330 thousand people, with impact levels up to II (very weak shaking, no damage). In Peru, shaking was experienced too.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
0	I	Not noticable	None
343,100	II	Very weak	None
0	III	Weak	Probably none
0	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake struck within proximity of multiple countries. Brazil and Peru are both within 300km distance of its epicenter. Futher away, this earthquake may also have been felt in Bolivia and Colombia.

The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Tarauacá in Acre, Brazil. Tarauacá is located 70 kilometer (43 mi) west of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Tarauacá is estimated to be around level II on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (very weak shaking, no damage).

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
70 km (43 mi) E from epicenter	Tarauacá Acre, Brazil.	II Weak
156 km (97 mi) WNW from epicenter	Cruzeiro do Sul Acre, Brazil.	II Weak
243 km (151 mi) NE from epicenter	Eirunepé Amazonas, Brazil.	II Weak
314 km (195 mi) ESE from epicenter	Sena Madureira Acre, Brazil.
346 km (215 mi) W from epicenter	San Fernando Ucayali, Peru.
347 km (216 mi) W from epicenter	Pucallpa Ucayali, Peru.
424 km (263 mi) SE from epicenter	Cobija Pando, Bolivia.
439 km (273 mi) ESE from epicenter	Rio Branco Acre, Brazil.
474 km (295 mi) NNE from epicenter	Tabatinga Amazonas, Brazil.
475 km (295 mi) NNE from epicenter	Leticia Amazonas, Colombia.
485 km (301 mi) SW from epicenter	Santa Rosa Junin, Peru.
488 km (303 mi) SW from epicenter	Satipo Junin, Peru.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is II.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

Shaking reported by 2 people

People that feel an earthquake may report their experience to the US Geographic Survey. Currently, 2 people have reported shaking in 2 places in Brazil.We keep updating this article as more ground reports become available. You may report that you felt this earthquake here.

Places with most reports:

Tarauacá, Acre, Brazil: 1 person.
Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil: 1 person.

Risk of aftershocks?

We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this are common in the region

Earthquakes of this strength occur quite regularly in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since January 20th, 2024, when a 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit 106 km (66 mi) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck on November 24th, 2015.

In total, 6 earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.5 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit inland, more than 100 km away from coastal areas. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk at a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	This earthquake had a magnitude of 6.5. Earthquakes of this strength could trigger a tsunami.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake occurred at a depth of 621 km (386 mi). Earthquakes this deep in the earth are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 28/03/24 06:28 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.