M4.5 earthquake near Vargem Grande, Maranhão

What happened

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck Maranhao, Brazil on 3 Jan 2017, 12:43 UTC at a depth of 10 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Light. Widely felt nearby; objects may shake or fall. Significant damage is unusual. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Vargem Grande, about 22 km away in Maranhão, Brazil.