Strong M6.9 Earthquake Strikes Chile

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Chile on Monday local time. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred in the Atacama Desert approximately 31 kilometres from Calama at a depth of around 100 kilometres. Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service stated there was no tsunami risk, and no reports of injuries or significant damage. Local media reported the tremor was felt in Arica, Tarapaca, Antofagasta, and Atacama regions. TVN television station broadcast footage of items falling from supermarket shelves. Chile, a South American nation, is among the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, with the Nazca, South American, and Antarctic tectonic plates converging in the region. Residents typically do not consider earthquakes below magnitude 7.0 as a cause for concern. In 1960, the southern city of Valdivia was destroyed by a magnitude 9.5 earthquake — the strongest ever recorded — which killed 9,500 people. In 2010, an 8.8 magnitude quake off central Chile’s coast triggered a tsunami that claimed over 520 lives.