Central Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Earthquake Mw 6,6

An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 occurred in the central region of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the epicenter of which was located between South America and Africa, more precisely 1218 km north of Acaraú in Brazil. The hypocenter was located at 10 km depth. Only last week there had been a strong earthquake in this region.

The border of several continental plates runs along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The submarine ridge is the birthplace of the Atlantic Ocean. Because of the divergence of the continental plates, they move apart and do not collide, as is the case in subduction zones. This causes less tension in the rock than at subduction zones and earthquakes occur less frequently.