M5.9 earthquake - 179 km ESE of Hoemul-li, North Korea

What happened

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 179 km ESE of Hoemul-li, North Korea on 12 Jul 2017, 19:48 UTC at a depth of 545 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a deep earthquake; shaking at the surface is usually weak for its size.

The nearest town in our records is Ŏrang, about 181 km away in North Hamgyong, North Korea.