6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Reported

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake was reported in Peru on Saturday (December 27), according to the United States Geological Survey.

The earthquake was recorded at 9:51 p.m. local time and centered about 36 kilometers (about 22 miles) west of Puerto Santa, at a depth of 66.4 kilometers (about 41 miles). The USGS said it received 51 reports of people having felt the earthquake at the time of publication on Sunday (December 28).

There is currently no tsunami threat in effect. The 6.2-magnitude earthquake was the largest recorded in Papua New Guinea in the past year among a total of seven reported in the last 365 days, according to EarthquakeTrack.com.

Peru is reported to have had two earthquakes in the past 24 hours, five in the past seven days, 15 in the last 30 days and 208 in the past year, according to EarthquakeTrack.com. Earthquakes measured between 2.5 and 5.4 magnitude can be felt by a large population, however, rarely results in much damage, according to Michigan Tech via the Sacramento Bee.

An estimated 500,000 detectable earthquakes are reported worldwide annually, however, around 100,000 are felt and only 100 typically result in serious damage. Officials strongly advise that anyone caught in an earthquake should drop, cover and hold on, according to the Sacramento Bee.