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Why Brazil Doesn’t Have Significant Earthquakes, Since Its Coast, Once, Was Docked On Africa’s Coast?
At the time of the separation, the Brazilian coast and the African coast WERE the edges of their tectonic plates. There were certainly very strong earthquakes on both continents during the separation. But, as the plates have been emerging from the bottom of the Earth, the material that rose from the mantle replaced the edge and pushed the coast of the two continents away. See the map below:
From the representation, it is possible to see that the South American plate is moving away from the African plate. What happens below the ocean has a dynamic similar to that of the drawing below:
That is why the Brazilian coast is no longer the edge of the plate. The ledge created ground and pushed Brazil away. You can see this clearly in the satellite photos taken by radar that show the seabed:
From the image, it is possible to see that the edges are now at the bottom of the sea, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean… And these edges do not cause tsunamis, since the plates do not overlap, they move away… Interesting, isn’t it?
The next time you go to a Brazilian beach, breathe easy… No tsunami will take you by surprise! Now, “arrastões”…
