Significant earthquakes of 2008

May 21, 2008 Earthquake: Alcantaras, Brazil

May 21, 2008

An earthquake struck Alcantaras, Brazil on May 21, 2008 at 19:23:57 UTC, 10 km below the surface.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date
May 21, 2008
Time
19:23:57 UTC
Place
Alcantaras, Brazil
Focal depth
10 km (6 mi)
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
3.910° S, 40.440° W
Country
Brazil

The toll

Damage
Limited (under about $1 million)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Minor damage at Alcantaras. Felt (III) at Fortaleza. Felt at Sobral. (reference #1053)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 2008The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2008Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 8122.