M5.0 earthquake near Belén, Catamarca

What happened

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck 40 km SW of Andalgalá, Argentina on 7 Dec 2021, 09:41 UTC at a depth of 151 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.

The nearest town in our records is Belén, about 54 km away in Catamarca, Argentina.