M5.9 earthquake near Yurimaguas, Loreto

What happened

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 34 km ESE of Barranca, Peru on 2 Jan 2017, 13:13 UTC at a depth of 106 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 Yurimaguas, about 115 km away in Loreto, Peru.