The epicenter was near Itacarambi, in the São Francisco Craton area.
Identifying where stress might be building within the South American Plate.
Most earthquakes happen at the edges of tectonic plates, where landmasses grind against or dive under one another. However, the 4.9 mb event in Minas Gerais serves as a critical case study for "intraplate" seismic activity. 1. What is an "Intracratonic" Earthquake?
At a magnitude of , the quake was powerful enough to cause significant local concern.