M6.5 earthquake hits Peru, felt thousands of miles away

The Earth continues to shake and this morning it was Peru´s turn to make the headlines.

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 31 miles northwest of Barranca, Peru, located in a not-so-populated area in the Amazon. Still, the quake was in bigger cities and in the neighboring country of Ecuador.

In Guayaquil, the second-largest city in Ecuador, residents felt the quake so strong that they promptly evacuated workplaces, homes, and schools.

The quake happened at a depth of 62 miles. Peruvian authorities said that this quake will not produce a threat of a tsunami.

There have not been any immediate reports of major damage or injuries. We will continue to monitor and bring you updates as they arrive.

Peru is along the active plate tectonic region called the Ring of Fire, which encompasses from the western coast of South America, along Central America, the North American West coast northward through Asia and New Zealand.

The plates closely affecting South America are undergoing subduction, along the Peru-Chile Trench of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate. But it is important to highlight that there are many other faults that cause the Earth to shake along inland areas, far from the main subduction.